Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang called Bimal Gurung a “non-entity” and said people in the hills were angry with the fugitive leader who resurfaced last month, these comments coming within hours of his meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna.

“Who is Bimal Gurung? There is no point in giving any importance to him. He is a non-entity now,” Tamang told newspersons in Calcutta after his meeting with Mamata.

A political observer said that the comments, made immediately after his meeting with Mamata, were significant. “It shows that Binay Tamang might have got a message from Nabanna during the meeting that bolstered his confidence,” said an observer.

Ever since Gurung dramatically resurfaced on October 21 after a three-year gap and extended his support to Trinamul, a section of leaders of the rival Tamang faction appeared worried amid questions on who would lead the Morcha in the coming days.

Gurung, who had allied with the BJP-led NDA before resurfacing in October, had been the undisputed leader of the hills till 2017. Tamang filled the void after Gurung left Darjeeling. As of now, there does not seem to be any scope for reconciliation between Gurung and Tamang.

Tamang, who spoke about Gurung on Monday for the first time after the developments of October 21, iterated on Tuesday that he was in full control of the hills.

“We know that some of his (Gurung’s) people held a meeting in Mirik on Tuesday. But there were hardly 200-odd people there, whereas thousands came out on the streets and joined in protest marches against him. People in the hills are angry with him and their participation (in anti-Gurung rallies) was the spontaneous outburst of resentment brewing within,” said Tamang.

Quizzed on his meeting with Mamata, Tamang maintained it was on certain pending issues of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and talks revolved around how to maintain peace and normality in the hills.

“He (Gurung) is not in our syllabus. We did not discuss anything about him,” the Morcha leader said, swatting away the Gurung factor that many believe may change the political landscape in the hills.

Sources in Nabanna said that the meeting in the presence of chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and state ministers Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim, lasted for about 20 minutes. “Issues related to the continuation of development work carried out by the GTA were mainly discussed,” said a source.

Ever since Mamata invited Tamang and his faction’s general secretary Anit Thapa, who also chairs the board of administrators at GTA Anit Thapa, speculations were rife.

While some said she called the duo as part of an attempt to strike a balance among both rival factions, others pointed that Tamang and Thapa were called to reassure them that Gurung would not affect their equation with the state government and Trinamul.

“Mamata needs both Tamang and Gurung, but they are not willing to reconcile... So, it would be interesting to see how the Trinamul leadership manages to ensure support of both factions,” said a political analyst.

Senior BJP leaders warned about the possibility of a fresh round of unrest in the hills because of Mamata’s politics.

“The crisis in the hills has been created by Mamata Banerjee. It is on her to look for a resolution now. From whatever I heard Binay Tamang tell the media, I figure that if a permanent solution can’t be reached, the hills will again be on the boil,” said Mukul Roy, BJP national vice-president.

Additional reporting by Pranesh Sarkar and Arkamoy Datta Majumdar in Calcutta