November 9 in view of the “emerging political solution”, repudiating his earlier stand.

Gurung, the president of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha who was in complete control of the hill politics from 2007 to 2017, announced this after the party’s central committee meeting in Kalimpong on Monday evening.

“We will convene an all-party meeting at the Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Sammelan (GDNS) hall in Darjeeling on November 9 to discuss the emerging political solution,” Gurung said.

The Centre recently appointed an interlocutor to look into issues of Darjeeling.

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, however, objected to what she termed the unilateral decision on the appointment of interlocutor for the hills.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in response to Mamata’s letter on the issue, asked the Union home minister Amit Shah to look into issues raised by Mamata.

Gurung’s decision to hold an all-party meeting at this time, however, might come back to haunt him.

This is because Gurung had called two all party meetings in 2013 and 2017 when he had renewed the Gorkhaland state demand and started
an agitation.

However, during both times Gurung had unilaterally stated that the “all-party chapter is closed”.

He had used the same phrase during his announcements on both occasions.

In 2022, when Gurung had tried to form a “national committee”, many hill leaders had raised questions on his earlier decision to unilaterally close the chapter of all-party
meetings.

Ultimately, the national committee was not formed.

Roshan Giri, the Morcha general secretary, said preparations for the meeting
had started.

Neeraj Zimba, the secretary general of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), and also the BJP MLA from Darjeeling, said he was yet to receive any letter for the meeting.

“We are yet to receive any invitation for the meeting. The party (GNLF) will decide on its next step,” said Zimba.

Reminded of the all-party fiasco of the past, Zimba said: “Much water has flown under the bridge since then… in issues of larger interest of the community all can come together.”