Senior Left and BJP leaders trained their guns at chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her party on Friday over the reappearance of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung in north Bengal.
Gurung has serious charges against him in the wake of the violent Gorkhaland agitations of 2017.
A few years back, the same Trinamul government had slapped over 100 police cases on Gurung and declared him absconding, TMC’s rivals said.
CPM leaders of Darjeeling district at a news meet here said the recent bonhomie between Gurung and Trinamul deserved to be questioned and chief minister Mamata Banerjee had to answer how the Morcha leader could freely about.
Asok Bhattacharya, the CPM MLA of Siliguri, said Gurung’s recent emergence in the state’s political arena was surprising. “We would like to know what happened to the police cases filed against him and whether his name has been dropped from the chargesheets...”
Left leaders accused Trinamul of “divisive politics” in the hills. “Trinamul is encouraging both lobbies of the Morcha (Gurung and his rival Binay Tamang) only to draw support during the Assembly polls. It is a wrong strategy that can lead to breach of peace in the hills,” a CPM leader said.
On October 21 this year, Gurung resurfaced in Calcutta and announced parting ways with BJP to support Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 state polls. He stayed on the outskirts of Calcutta for over a month. On December 6, he reached Siliguri for his first public meeting after three-and-half years, and is staying at a hotel here. On Sunday, he will address a public meeting at Birpara in Alipurduar.
State BJP leader Rahul Sinha on Friday was equally critical about Trinamul’s stand on Gurung. “Bimal Gurung is leading a public life. It seems that Trinamul has suddenly changed its stand. We are firm on our stand, and once Assembly elections are over, will sit with hill residents to discuss their issues,” said Sinha.
Trinamul leaders are tight-lipped about Gurung. Sources said Trinamul will keep a distance with him for a while.
“The state leadership is monitoring his activities. We have no comments,” said a senior Trinamul leader when asked about Gurung.
