The Binay Tamang faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Monday suspended party president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri for six months.
The decision was taken at a Central Committee meeting of GJM held at the Ghum area in Darjeeling district. Apart from two top party leaders, eight others, including Mr. Gurung’s wife Asha, were also suspended.
The development comes a day ahead of the all party meeting called by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Siliguri.
While Mr. Tamang has been appointed as the new party president, Anit Thapa was made the new general secretary.
Mr. Gurung has been absconding since August after the State government slapped cases against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Darjeeling.
“For the last six months these people (Mr.Gurung and other suspended leaders) have become inactive and were not performing their duties in the party. So we have suspended them for six months as per the party constitution,” Mr. Tamang told journalists after the meeting. He also said the vacant posts in the party would be filled soon.
With the suspension of Mr. Gurung by Mr Tamang, the wheel has turned full circle in the Gorkhaland agitation. Till 2007 the Gorkhaland movement was controlled by Mr. Gurung’s mentor Subhash Ghisingh, then president of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).
In 2007 when the both the Centre and the State governments considered including the Darjeeling hills in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and giving the tribal-dominated area special administrative powers, Mr. Gurung launched a large scale agitation in Hills.
Mr. Gurung’s position as the new dominant political force in Darjeeling became clear when GJM supporters stopped Mr. Ghishing from entering the hills after his return from Delhi.
Similarly, the process of sidelining of Mr. Gurung’s by his once close aid Binay Tamang started in late August following a meeting with Ms. Banerjee along with other pro-Gorkhaland leaders. Mr. Tamang announced a temporary withdrawal of the two month shut down that had crippled the hill district.
Though Mr. Gurung promptly expelled Mr. Tamang and Mr. Thapa from the party, his grip on the party was slipping. The nearly 100 day shut down was lifted on September 26.
