Bimal Gurung said Harka Bahadur has betrayed Darjeeling

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung today accused Kalimpong MLA Harkha Bahadur Chhetri of betraying the Gorkhas and the Darjeeling hills. "Have I betrayed the people of Darjeeling? This is a big 'dhoka' (betrayal) to Darjeeling," he told media personnel on his arrival at the Bagdogra airport from New Delhi. When asked about Chhetri’s threat to resign from the GJM, Gurung said, "I have neither received such a letter from him and nor has he informed me. He was with us, is and he will be until I accept his resignation. I had called all the three MLAs of Darjeeling for the meeting, but Chhetri was in Kolkata accompanying his ailing wife. He promised to come to Darjeeling after two days but he did not. How can he say that I did not inform him? Aisa jhooth nahi bolna chahiye.” Further, the GJM chief said he has the call records saying Chhetri should also check his phone records. "My views are crystal clear and I am working democratically and do not want to be a 'gaddar' (traitor) to my community,” Gurung said. “I will do whatever is required for the development of the hills and for the Gorkha community. I have never sowed the seeds of sorrow and caused the people any kind of pain." Commenting on the possibility of Chhetri joining the TMC, he said, "I cannot enter others’ hearts but we will find out very soon." The GJM chief had been to Delhi to meet Union home minister Rajnath Singh, and he told reporters today he had apprised Singh on how the state government was not allowing the GTA to function independently. He denounced Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for “frequently disturbing” the GTA's development plans by forming separate development boards for hill communities. (EOI)