Bimal Gurung threatens to fast until death if proposals not implemented before polls in Darjeeling
India Today
Bimal Gurung, president of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, has threatened to fast indefinitely if the polls to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in West Bengal's Darjeeling are held without his party's proposals being implemented first.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung has threatened to sit on an indefinite hunger strike if his party’s memorandum of proposals is not implemented before the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) election.
The West Bengal government has decided to hold elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), an autonomous body to administer Darjeeling hills, in June this year. The state government’s latest notification has triggered a frenzy of activity among the hill parties.
Bimal Gurung said, “I will fast until death if GTA elections are conducted forcefully.”
While the leader is in favour of GTA polls being held, he said it should not be forced until his party’s proposals are fulfilled. Presently, the BJP, GNLF and CPRM, along with other organisations, are against the holding of the GTA elections.
Bimal Gurung even wrote a letter to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, requesting her to put the GTA election in abeyance till the Memorandum of Proposal (MoP) submitted by the party to the government is implemented.
Elections to the hill body have been due since 2017.
As per sources, the Memorandum of Proposal says that an agreement that was signed in 2011 should be honoured in letter and spirit.
