Raju Bista, the BJP MP and candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, met Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung at the latter's party office, but not before being asked to take off his shoes.

The shoe reference is loaded as far as these two hill leaders are concerned.

Gurung was with the NDA from 2009 till 2020 when he decided to dump the BJP for Trinamul. This was after Gurung resurfaced after being on the run since the 2017 Gorkhaland agitation.

When ties between Gurung and the BJP had hit the nadir, the shoe controversy had rocked the hills.

In February 2021, Gurung said at a public meeting: “Our issue is getting derailed because Raju Bista engages in garrulous talk. The other two (BJP) MPs, on the contrary, derailed our issue by not talking at all.... If I am to expose our conversations, the BJP will expel Raju Bista.”

The other two BJP MPs that Gurung referred to were Jaswant Singh and S.S. Ahluwalia who won the Darjeeling seat riding on the Morcha’s support.

Bista, a new MP then, did not take things lying low. Addressing a public meeting in Darjeeling a few days later, Bista brought up the “shoe” issue. “It is because of the leaders that the people have achieved nothing. Once (these leaders) reach Delhi, they only want money. So, how will you get Gorkhaland? They only seek money in Delhi. The day I have to reveal, I will reveal everything, I will even reveal (Gurung’s) shoe size,” said Bista.

Bista in the same public meeting went on to say he had rescued someone from a “toilet when holed up for two hours” when the latter had come to visit Darjeeling municipal councillors in Delhi while still on the run. “And yet, they say we did nothing for them,” Bista had said. Although the Darjeeling MP had not taken Gurung’s name, it was clear who he was referring to.

Gurung had also retorted: “Instead of talking about major issues like tribal status, permanent political solution, unemployment, the fate of tea workers, he talks about revealing my shoe size,” Gurung had said. He had added that Bista had "gifted me a pair of shoes on my birthday". Gurung’s birthday falls on July 17.

On Saturday, when Bista entered Gurung’s office, the Morcha leader was heard saying: “Take off the shoes, keep the shoes outside.”

An enthusiastic supporter in the office was also heard loudly saying: “Please take off the shoes.”

Gurung did not take any names but one could see Bista stopping and bending to take off his shoes.

Morcha leaders did not speak on the shoe issue. However, one remarked: “There are carpets in the room and it is so difficult to clean the floors every day. Everyone takes off their shoes.”

After the meeting, Bista sounded confident that Gurung would support him in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Morcha president, however, sounded more circumspect and said that a final announcement would be made on April 2.

"Today I met daju (big brother in Nepali, meant to address Gurung) and now it is confirmed that I will be an MP for the second term,” said Bista, adding he was confident that Gurung would once again be part of the NDA.

Gurung told the media: "He (Bista) came to meet me. (His rivals) B.P. Bajgain (rebel BJP MLA) and Ajoy Edwards (president, Hamro Party) also came to meet me. We have not yet taken any decision (as to who to support)."