The West Bengal government has accorded the rank and status of Minister of State to the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) president Mann Ghising, who was recently nominated as the chairperson of the Hill Area Development Committee.
Mr. Ghising is the son of GNLF founder Subhas Ghising, who spearheaded the movement for a separate State of Gorkhaland for decades.
GNLF spokesperson Neeraj Zimba, however, said the new status was an attempt at appeasement.