Bimal meet-skip plea, again

A stage being erected on Saturday for the meeting in Darjeeling 

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Kalimpong: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung has again appealed to people to not attend Sunday's meeting called by the Binay Tamang faction in Darjeeling, saying participating in the rally would hurt the cause of Gorkhaland.

In an audio message released on Friday night, Gurung, who has been on the run, appealed to the people to remain vigilant as the sole purpose of the meeting was to prove that he no longer enjoys the support of the people.

"A few opportunist leaders are practising politics with the intention to defeat the Gorkhaland cause, which is why the public must remain vigilant... They have called the meeting on the 19th to show that Bimal Gurung does not enjoy the mandate in the hills....

"The meeting called by these few opportunist leaders by ignoring the sacrifices of the 12 martyrs (the Morcha supporters who died in the recent unrest in the hills) is a black day for us. No one should attend the meeting. This is my appeal to my brothers and sisters," he said.

This is the second audio message from Gurung in consecutive days. In his earlier message on Thursday, the Morcha president had made a similar appeal.

Political analysts said the messages betrayed Gurung's desperation to ensure he remained relevant.

"In his latest audio, Gurung has also promised to come out in the public very soon. This suggests he is getting a sense that the people are leaving his sinking ship and he is desperate to keep his flock together. He wants to ensure a low turnout at Sunday's meeting to remain afloat in the hill politics," said an analyst.

The Tamang-Anit Thapa faction, however, is trying its best to ensure a massive turnout. The faction appears to be on upswing with more and more people, including senior leaders of the party and its frontal organisations, expressing their allegiance to them. The faction has been holding rallies in different parts of the hills in the past few days to mobilise the public for the meeting.