Gorkha Janmukti Morcha heads for split over Gurung’s plan

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is demanding a Gorkhaland state, is heading for a split as most of its top leaders are opposing a statehood plan by its president, Bimal Gurung.
In a hurry to convince the Centre to green-signal the statehood demand, Gurung announced that GJM would not ask for the inclusion of the tribal-dominated plains of Terai and Dooars in the proposed state. In fact, Gurung also wrote to the home ministry showing a map of Gorkhaland without Terai and Dooars.

The decision has angered other top GJM leaders, including general secretary Roshan Giri, who is the second to Gurung in importance, as well as publicity secretary Dr Harkabahadur Chetri.
Giri and Chetri told reporters that Gurung did not discuss the contents of his letter with the GJM central committee.

The duo said that Gurung’s plan would not be accepted by the people. “We strongly feel it is possible to include the plains of Terai and Dooars in Gorkhaland,” Giri said.

Though Chetri is not in favour of directly attacking Gurung on the exclusion of Terai and Dooars, he is angry that the latter kept other leaders in the dark about the letter.

“When the president has not informed us anything about the letter’s contents, there is no point in discussing the matter right now,” Chetri said.

Gurung’s position has become even more stickier, since other forces supporting Gorkhaland such as the Indian Gorkha League, have criticised the decision to exclude the plains from the Gorkhaland plan.