Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung on Friday said the BJP was only interested in photo sessions and not in delivering promises if one went by the saffron camp’s past deeds.

Gurung had been an ally of the BJP from 2009 until last year when he dumped the NDA and joined hands with the Trinamul Congress.

“The BJP is good at using social media and publicity. They are only interested in photo sessions but not in delivering promises. One example is the way Darjeeling municipality councillors were treated,” Gurung said at a party workers’ meet at Tukvar.

The 17 councillors had moved a no-confidence motion in May 2019 against the then chairman, Prativa Rai Tamang, who was in the Binay Tamang camp of the Morcha. The motion was moved soon after the Gurung-BJP-GNLF alliance had won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha and Assembly seats.

“I was displaced (was on the run from Bengal police) and to save them, I asked them to join the BJP. The BJP did a photo session but precious little afterwards even though they were in a majority and could have formed a board. They suffered a lot for nine months,” said Gurung.

The Bengal government soon dissolved the Darjeeling civic board and the vote of no-confidence could not be held. Some of the councillors also returned to the Tamang camp later.

Gurung’s statement comes at a time many of his associates in the Morcha, like Kalyan Dewan, Swaraj

Thapa, B.P. Bagjain and Trilok Chand Roka, have joined the BJP.

In his address, Gurung also stressed that the issue of “displaced workers (those who were on the run with Gurung)” and “un-displaced (those at the ground zero)” must end in the party and it was time to move together.

“I have to deliver (in this election),” said Gurung and hinted that he would continue to focus on the Terai and the Dooars as of now.

“After the Kurseong meeting on February 15, I was thinking of staying there for two-three days. I, however, decided to go to the Terai. I might also delay my public meeting at Mirik (which is in the hills),” said Gurung.

Despite joining hands with Trinamul, which is against the demand of Gorkhaland, Gurung said he was the only hill leader “who could and will continue to” raise the Gorkhaland slogan.

The Morcha leader, however, said he would not fight with the (state) government as an earlier fight (the 2017 agitation) had forced him to be on the run.

“People said that they would lay their lives for Gorkhaland but in the jungles, I was all alone,” Gurung claimed.