Boost for Mamata as CBI seeks arrest warrant against GJM chief Gurung

Chief Minister Mamata  Banerjee  received a shot in her arms on Monday  when  the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) decided  to seek an arrest warrant against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung , his wife Asha Gurung and 20 others for remaining absent during the hearing in the Madan Tamang murder case.

The CBI counsel pleaded before the chief judge of City Sessions Court that the arrest warrant be issued against the 22 accused, including Gurung and his wife, who were absent at the hearing in the case. 

All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang was murdered in a broad daylight in Darjeeling on 21 May 2010, when he was supervising the arrangements of a meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League. Three men attacked Tamang hacked him with Khukris. He was rushed to Darjeeling hospital where he was declared dead.

GJM activists are alleged to have been behind the murder as Tamang was opposed to the outfit’s methods.  The arrest warrant against Gurung comes as a boost to Banerjee in her government’s stand-off against the GJM.

However, CPI(M) and Congress insinuated that the CBI’s action  was because of a “secret understanding” between Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said “ The secret understanding between Banerjee and Narendra Modi once again been exposed after CBI  decided to seek an arrest warrant against GJM leaders. Mamata might say that she will oust BJP from the Centre , but secretly she is backing the BJP. It was also evident during the Presidential election as five TMC MLAs voted for Ram Nath Kovind.”

According to Congress leader Abdul Mannan, “The crisis in the hills has worsened and we feel that instead of such a secret understanding, Mamata Banerjee should sit with all the political parties and take suggestions on how to resolve the impasse in the hills.”

However, the Trinamool Congress has denied any such understanding.

Partha Chatterjee state parliamentary affairs minister, said “CBI is doing its job.  We do not have anything to say on CBI’s decision to seek  an arrest warrant against the GJM chief and 21 others for remaining absent during the hearing in Madan Tamang murder case.”

Meanwhile as violence continued in the hills, differences of opinion have cropped up among the members of the  Gorkhaland Coordination Committee that is carrying out the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland .

Harkha Bahadur Chhetri, chief of Jan Andolan party who joined the committee said, “We have already urged all the GJM leaders to stop the violence and use democratic means for achieving Gorkhaland. But they are not listening to our demands. If violence continues, we will come out of the committee as violence won’t lead to any solution”.

Responding to Chhetri, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said “ Anybody can come out of the committee . But our movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland will continue and we will continue our indefinite strike.”

Sources in the Gorkhaland Co-ordination Committee said around 20 leaders from various parties have expressed their wish to leave the committee due to such differences of opinion.

In the Trinamool office, there is speculation that Mamata’s decision to go on the offensive against the Centre  - even saying that she will oust Modi from power – has forced the BJP to climb down.

Some also see Banerjee’s decision to attend Kovind’s swearing in ceremony as a sign of the détente between her and the Centre. Apparently this wasn’t part of Banerjee’s schedule until a week back.

Amol Mukherjee, political analyst and former principal of Presidency College said “The tit for tat strategy of BJP and TMC is getting clearer with every passing day. While Modi tries to threaten Mamata with the CBI summoning top TMC leaders in connection with the Narada and Sarada scam, the West Bengal CID questions BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and party leader Roopa Ganguly in the child trafficking case”.