Ahead of meeting with CM, GJM suspends Gurung, Roshan Giri

Darjeeling: Bimal Gurung, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief along with 13 top brass members have been suspended for six months.

A central committee meeting of the GJM removed Gurung from the post of president and replaced him with Tamang. General Secretary Roshan Giri who has also been suspended had been replaced by Anit Thapa.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in the Darjeeling district to attend bipartite talks between the state government and political parties of the Hills.

The central committee meeting suspended 14 front rung leaders including Gurung; general secretary Roshan Giri; Nari Morcha president Asha Gurung and others from the GJM and frontal organisations.

"They have been suspended as they are not present in the Hills since long and have not carried out political activities which their port folios demand," stated Tamang.

Following the suspension, the central committee nominated Tamang as the president and Anit Thapa as the general secretary.

Tamang, talking to media persons, claimed that there were 37 members present in the central committee meeting which is 43 percent of the strength, thereby meeting the quorum.

"Earlier, it was a 93-member central committee but many have resigned or joined other parties," claimed Tamang.

The other vacant posts owing to

the suspension of others will be filled up soon, remarked Tamang. The central committee decided to revamp and strengthen the party.

A GJM rally will be held in Sukna within second week of December. A three member GJM team will also be visiting Delhi to take part in a pro-Gorhaland programme on November 26.

Reacting to the suspension, Roshan Giri stated that it was illegal. "Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa have already been expelled from the party. How can they suspend us," questioned Giri.

Meanwhile a six-member GJM team will be attending bipartite talks with the state government on Tuesday. The meeting will take place at Pintail Village on the outskirts of Siliguri at 4 pm on Tuesday.

The GJM team includes Tamang; Thapa; GJM MLAs Rohit Sharma and Amar Singh Rai; central committee members Tshering Dahal and Sanchabir Subba.

The bipartite talks is to find out a political solution to the Gorkha impasse. The CM will also be holding an administrative meeting on Wednesday before departing for Kolkata on the same day.