NEW DELHI: In what is bound to further spoil the already soured relation between the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) from the Darjeeling hills, GJM leader Bimal Gurung has pledged support to UPA's presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
The move is bound to earn Banerjee's ire as she has opposed Mukherjee's candidature for Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Gurung met Mukherjee here on Tuesday along with his four MLAs, who have assured the veteran Congress leader their votes in the July 19 elections. Gurung also called on home minister P Chidambaram.
GJM had supported Trinamool Congress during the assembly elections in the state last year in the hope that the Gorkha party's demands for including areas in the Terai region under the GTA (Gorkha Territorial Administration) would be met when the tripartite accord was signed.
The two sides (GJM and state government) had a written agreement that both would abide by the recommendation of the panel set up by the government. But when the recommendation from the panel that included GJM members came to the table, Gurung was disappointed and refused to accept it. This sparked fresh trouble in the hills resulting in relations straining between the GJM leadership and the state government.
Mukherjee's nomination for Rashtrapati Bhawan has divided the political class in West Bengal with the ruling Trinamool leadership opposing the UPA candidate but there are many in the party who would like to support the first presidential candidate from the state. The Left stands divided with CPM and Forward Bloc supporting Mukherjee and CPI and RSP deciding to abstain from voting.
The GJM's decision to back Mukherjee also embarrasses Darjeeling's BJP MP Jaswant Singh as he will be following the party line to oppose Mukherjee and support his opponent P A Sangma.
The move is bound to earn Banerjee's ire as she has opposed Mukherjee's candidature for Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Gurung met Mukherjee here on Tuesday along with his four MLAs, who have assured the veteran Congress leader their votes in the July 19 elections. Gurung also called on home minister P Chidambaram.
GJM had supported Trinamool Congress during the assembly elections in the state last year in the hope that the Gorkha party's demands for including areas in the Terai region under the GTA (Gorkha Territorial Administration) would be met when the tripartite accord was signed.
The two sides (GJM and state government) had a written agreement that both would abide by the recommendation of the panel set up by the government. But when the recommendation from the panel that included GJM members came to the table, Gurung was disappointed and refused to accept it. This sparked fresh trouble in the hills resulting in relations straining between the GJM leadership and the state government.
Mukherjee's nomination for Rashtrapati Bhawan has divided the political class in West Bengal with the ruling Trinamool leadership opposing the UPA candidate but there are many in the party who would like to support the first presidential candidate from the state. The Left stands divided with CPM and Forward Bloc supporting Mukherjee and CPI and RSP deciding to abstain from voting.
The GJM's decision to back Mukherjee also embarrasses Darjeeling's BJP MP Jaswant Singh as he will be following the party line to oppose Mukherjee and support his opponent P A Sangma.
- Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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