With the BJP still non-committal on including the Gorkhaland issue in its election manifesto, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) said on Friday that it was still considering negotiations with the Congress.
Due to its strong support base in the Hills, GJMM’s backing is considered essential to secure the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, coveted by both the BJP and the Congress.
Mr Prashad is part of a five-member GJMM delegation led by the party supremo Mr Bimal Gurung. The team is currently in Delhi to meet BJP leaders and discuss the role the Gorkhaland issue will have to play in the coming general elections.
According to Mr Anmol Prashad, the Hill party’s sole interest is to ensure a place for the Gorkhaland issue in the election manifesto of a national party. Whichever party concedes to include the issue will receive GJMM backing. MORE...
Darjeeling, Feb. 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today formally submitted a letter to the BJP, asking the party to include the creation of Gorkhaland in its election manifesto.
Morcha president Bimal Gurung, who led a five-member delegation to Delhi, said his outfit has not pledged support to any national party as yet. “We have just given them (BJP) a letter asking for inclusion of our demand. We made it clear that we were open to talks with any party that supports our demand,” said Gurung over the phone from Delhi.
The BJP leaders like party president Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and S.S. Ahluwalia said Gurung’s proposal would have to be discussed at the meeting on election manifesto. Ahluwalia has been appointed to oversee election related work for Bengal and the Northeast.
Sources said the Morcha letter followed a suggestion from BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani. Gurung, along with other Morcha leaders, had attended a dinner hosted by Advani in Delhi last evening. MORE...
The BJP national leadership today evaded answering several questions on the possibility of including or avoiding the Gorkhaland issue in the party's election manifesto even as the GJMM leadership is mounting pressure for its inclusion and the West Bengal unit of the BJP is opposing it staunchly.
A GJMM delegation led by the party president, Mr Bimal Gurung, is now camping in New Delhi to discuss the matter with the BJP's central leadership. According to Mr Amar Lama, a senior member of the delegation, they had a meeting with the BJP veteran, Mr LK Advani, over dinner last night. “But the Gorkhaland issue did not figure in the tête-à-tête yesterday. We would meet the BJP president, Mr Rajnath Singh, and others today and try to prevail upon him to incorporate ‘Gorkhaland’ in the BJP manifesto,” he said.
The central leadership of the BJP, however, chose to play safe today with reservations simmering within the state BJP unit over the emotive issue. MORE...