Cracks surface in Gorkhaland movement due to GJM factionalism

Development follows West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's meeting with GJM, GNLF, JAP leaders

The Gorkhaland movement, which gathered steam after all the major hill parties united for the cause, seems to be ebbing now. In a major development, factionalism within the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) — the largest party in Darjeeling — seems to be weakening the call for a separate statehood, according to the hill leaders.

A faction led by GJM Convenor Binay Tamang has called off the indefinite shutdown. Soon after this, Roshan Giri, the party's general secretary, clarified that the GJM has not called for lifting the shutdown.

The development follows after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met leaders from the GJM, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Jan Andolan Party (JAP) at the state secretariat on August 29, initiating dialogues to restore peace and normalcy in the hills.

"The bandh is being suspended to honour the state government's response to having dialogues. The Chief Minister is scheduled to have another meeting with hills parties on September 12. Till then, the bandh will remain suspended," Tamang said at a press conference.

Soon, Giri, as well as GJM supremo Bimal Gurung, went into a clarification mode stating that the official stand of the GJM is still in favour of continuing the shutdown.

"They had no business to call a central committee meeting. The decision has no legitimacy. The bandh will continue," Gurung said while Giri hinted at the withdrawal of the shutdown only if the outcome of the September 12 meeting in Siliguri is "positive".

Senior leaders of other parties, including GNLF, JAP, are yet to decide on withdrawing from the shutdown, which they have been supporting from the past 74 days.

"The decision rests with the party's core committee and we are yet to decide if we should withdraw the shutdown", L G Subba, a senior GNLF leader said.

However, a senior GNLF leader claimed that Tamang might come up with his own party, which, if happens, might reinstate the GNLF as the Hill's largest party. The GNLF used to be the largest party in the hills till 2007, when Gurung, who is a former GNLF member, broke away from the party to form the GJM.

Afterwards, in early 2016, Harka Bahadur Chhetri, who started his political stint with the GNLF and then sided with Gurung for a career in the GJM, broke up to form the JAP. Still, the GJM had managed to hold on to its position as the most dominant political force in Darjeeling.

Hill leaders opine that while all the major parties in the hills support the cause for Gorkhaland as it has been a "deep rooted aspiration, even before India became independent", political infighting over the years has weakened the movement.

Nevertheless, political leaders in Darjeeling say that the people, who have suffered over two months of disruption in their normal lives, are confused and may prefer to stay indoors.

"Who is going to take any risk? One faction says, it has withdrawn, while the party's chief says no to it," a senior GNLF leader wondered.