Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chetri quiting Gorkha Janamukti Morcha

KOLKATA: Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chetri on Friday said he was quitting Gorkha Janamukti Morcha and would function as an Independent. Chetri said the GJM president Bimal Gurung's statement asking the MLA's to resign was taken without any consultation. He said as an ex-officio member of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration he wasn't invited to a single GTA meeting in the last three years. He, however, ruled out joining the Trinamool Congress.

The Kalimpong MLA was believed to be a moderate compared to Gurung's hardline stance. The GJM which held a meeting to take stock of the fallouts indicated it has deferred the resignation issue. Technically, the decision will have no visible impact as the GJM MLA's had contested as independents in the 2011 assembly elections. Harka's decision, however, is a jolt to the hill based party.(TOI)