Siliguri, 12th January: Several members of Bimal faction Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), party’s former spokesperson B. P. Bajgain and prominent figures including Swaraj Thapa, Shankar Adhikari joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a public meeting at Milan More, Siliguri.
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, state BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu, Siliguri Organizational BJP President Praveen Agarwal, Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba and other leaders welcomed the new members to the party.
After joining, the new members said that their only demand is a separate state which can be achieved only with the support of BJP. They accused Bimal Gurung of deviating from the prime demand of the people of the hills.
In this context, Sayantan Basu claimed that the people of the hills do not accept the alliance of Bimal Gurung with Trinamool Congress. Hence, several people are now joining the BJP. He further asserted that within a few days, several people from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, and Mirik will join the party.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Goutam Deb said that in three Lok Sabha polls, BJP occupied the hill seats by misleading Bimal Gurung. He accused the party of not keeping any promises after winning the election.