Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari To Attend GJM Foundation Day In Darjeeling On Wednesday

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will visit Darjeeling on Wednesday to attend the foundation day celebrations of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, signalling a renewed political outreach to the hills, amid closer ties between the BJP and the Bimal Gurung-led outfit.

“I will be going to Darjeeling tomorrow,” Adhikari told reporters in Nandigram on Tuesday, confirming his visit to the hills as the GJM prepares for a major gathering to mark its foundation day.

GJM president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri had invited the chief minister to the event during a meeting with him in Kolkata in September.

The discussions, held at the PWD grounds, focused on the political situation in the hills and issues concerning the region's development.

The chief minister is expected to be the principal speaker at Wednesday's gathering, with the visit likely to draw attention to the BJP's evolving political equation with the GJM and the state government's approach to Darjeeling's long-standing political demands.

Founded on October 7, 2007, the GJM emerged as a major force in the hills through its movement for a separate Gorkhaland state.

Gurung's party is currently an NDA ally and backed BJP candidates in several constituencies during the West Bengal Assembly elections this year.

The BJP's victories in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong have reinforced its hold over the three hill constituencies, giving the GJM a renewed significance in the region's political calculations.

Adhikari's visit comes in the backdrop of discussions between the state government and GJM leaders on regional development and a possible permanent political settlement for the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars. Questions surrounding the future of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) have also figured in the broader political discourse.

The chief minister's presence at the foundation day event of the GJM could provide an opportunity to address these concerns and outline the government's priorities for the hills, where demands for greater political autonomy have remained a persistent source of contention.

State Transport Minister Arjun Singh had visited the hills ahead of the chief minister's proposed tour to assess the situation.

He was also present at the September meeting between Adhikari and the GJM leadership.

The chief minister is expected to return to Kolkata after attending Wednesday's programme.