Hold talks with Centre or Bodoland will be formed and Gorkhas will 'scratch heads': GJM chief Bimal Gurung

KOLKATA: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supremo Bimal Gurung appealed pro-Gorkhaland political parties in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal to unify and speak with Centre for Gorkhaland or else 'scratch heads' while Bodoland will be formed next after Telangana.

Stating that the Centre met representatives of pro-Bodoland parties on Thursday while ignoring pro-Gorkhaland parties' repeated pleas for talks over the statehood movement, Bimal Gurung said: "I appeal to all the political parties CPRM (Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists) JAP (Jan Andolan Party), ABGL (Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League), GNLF (Gorkha National Liberation Front) and Congress to keep aside their personal differences and unite together for Gorkhaland.

I have no issues even if you 'minus' me but you all unite and please hold talks with the Centre." "While talks for Telangana state formation was doing the rounds in 2013, I resigned from my post (of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Chief Executive Officer) to press for Gorkhaland statehood. While Telangana was formed, we were betrayed. Now, pro-Bodoland parties have been summoned but what are our leaders doing? Why are they not holding talks with the Centre? If you can't speak with Centre now, again a new state Bodoland will be formed and we will scratch our heads and say we have been betrayed again. It is not necessary that only Bimal Gurung has to speak with Delhi. There are so many experienced and capable leaders in all other parties. It's their time to speak with Delhi," he added.

Speaking about his absence from the hills, the GJM leader said that he is underground to save the cause of statehood. "I undertook a democratic movement in 2017 and Bengal administration is pressing false cases and killing my loyalists in false encounters. They are also planning to kill me in such a false encounter. I have to stay underground to keep the statehood cause alive. I am not scared and neither am I a coward but I have to remain underground to keep the movement alive," he added. The GJM leader also urged the hill residents to light a candle on July 27 for the 13 people killed during 105-day Gorkhaland agitation last year.