Bimal Gurung is an Indian politician and one of the founders and the president of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), a political party demanding the formation of a separate state of Gorkhaland within India.
Gurung had been in hiding in 2017 till 2020 for fear of being arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after he and his aides were allegedly held accountable for breach of peace in the Darjeeling hills.
[1][2][3] In October 2020, Gurung and GJM quit National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and allied with All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) before the upcoming 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election prior to reappearing from his hideout in 2017.
However, the government decided not to hold elections and instead made Subhash Ghisingh the sole caretaker of the DGHC till the Sixth Schedule council was established.
The total area of the proposed state is 6450 km2 and comprises Banarhat, Bhaktinagar, Birpara, Chalsa, Darjeeling, Jaigaon, Kalchini, Kalimpong, Kumargram, Kurseong, Madarihat, Malbazar, Mirik and Nagarkatta.
[8] Bimal received mass support from the people of Darjeeling district, Dooars and other parts of India for his statehood demand.
[9] But after the contentious issue of the broad-daylight murder of former ABGL chief Madan Tamang in May 2010, to which Gurung is believed to be heavily linked, many key GJM leaders such as Trilok Dewan, Amar Singh Rai, Amar Lama, Anmole Prasad and Palden Lama resigned from the party, leading to massive speculation about the veracity of Gurung's statement denying his party's links with Tamang's murder.
[23][24] In October 2020, Gurung's GJM quitted NDA and allied with TMC before the upcoming 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.
[29][30] Leaders of the Gurung faction had earlier promised to back the TMC in the rest of the 14 seats in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts.