GJM MLA Harka Bahadur Chetri to quit party

KOLKATA: Amidst speculation that he might join Trinamool Congress, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) MLA Harka Bahadur Chetri today said he is quitting the party due to "autocratic" attitude of GJM leadership and would work as an independent legislator.

"I am leaving the party but will continue to work as an independent MLA. It is because of the autocratic attitude of the leaders that I have decided to sever my ties. I cannot stay there with my self-respect," Chetri said.

He said he will submit his resignation to the party president Bimal Gurung within a day or two.

Asked about speculation that he might join the ruling Trinamool Congress, Chetri said that he would work as an independent MLA for his Kalimpong constituency.

GJM has three members in the West Bengal Assembly and the party leadership has stated that they would resign from the House to protest against alleged non-cooperation by the state government with Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in Darjeeling hills.

Chetri said senior leaders like him were never taken into consideration by the party leadership while arriving at any decision.

"This has been the case for a long time. The party president along with some of his men took decisions unilaterally without taking all of us into confidence," the MLA charged and added that he could not take the "insult" anymore.

He said as an ex-officio member of the GTA he wasn't invited to a single GTA meeting in the last three years.