GJM legislator Harka Bahadur Chettri quits party

Blaming the "autocratic" attitude of the party leadership, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) legislator Harka Bahadur Chettri on Friday quit the party which has threatened reviving the separatist movement in northern West Bengal.

"I am quitting GJM but will work as an independent legislator. There is a severe lack of democratic attitude in the party leadership and decisions are imposed unilaterally. It is because of the autocratic attitude of the leaders that I am quitting," Chettri told media persons here.

Chettri yet again expressed displeasure over the "unilateral" decision by the GJM leadership announcing that its three legislators -- Chettri, Rohit Sharma and Trilok Dewan, representing Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling respectively -- will resign in protest against the Mamata Banerjee government's repeated interference into the affairs of the autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) governing the Darjeeling hills.

"The party president (Bimal Gurung) took decisions unilaterally without taking any us into confidence," said Chettri, who on Wednesday too had expressed anguish over the decision.

Speculation is rife that Chettri may join the ruling Trinamool Congress following his recent meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her visit to the region.

The legislators are slated to tender their resignation on September 18.

Slamming Banerjee for repeatedly "violating" the tripartite agreement between the GJM, central and state governments, under which the GTA was constituted, Gurung threatened to revive the agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of parts of Darjeeling and its neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.