17 Darjeeling Municipal Corporation councillors declare support for Bimal Gurung-led GJM faction
Nov 06, 2020
Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], November 6 : 17 Darjeeling Municipal Corporation councillors who were with the NDA for 17 years have declared their support for the Bimal Gurung faction of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM).
"We were with the NDA for 17 years, but BJP didn't fulfil commitments. Seeing that Mamata Banerjee fulfils promises, we will support her in 2021," GJM leader Bimal Gurung said.
It is important to note that Gurung had been in hiding since 2017, after being charged by the state government under the anti-terror law for incidents in areas in which he held sway.
When asked if the state government gave him assurance regarding cases against him, he said, "I'm neither a criminal nor an anti-national. I'm a political leader. I want a political settlement. I was in Delhi earlier and in Jharkhand for the past two months."
The Gurung-led faction of GJM had previously been supporting the NDA and had helped it win Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in the past three general elections.
