Binay Tamang (also Binoy Tamang; born 28 December 1965) is an Indian Politician and a former leader of the
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is a registered unrecognized political party, that campaigns for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal. The party was launched on 7 October 2007. T ...
political party. He joined
All India Trinamool Congress
The All India Trinamool Congress (; AITC), simply known as Trinamool Congress, is an Indian political party that is mainly influential in the state of West Bengal. It was founded by Mamata Banerjee on 1 January 1998 as a breakaway faction f ...
in 2021 and left in 2022. After then he joined
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
in 2023 and became
State
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
from the very beginning. As a young boy, he was always inspired by the stories of the great Gorkhas of the nation and dreamt of working for the progress of the Gorkhas. He was especially inspired and influenced by the movement and vision of GNLF and hence, became an active member of GNLF in 1986. This was one act that was to change his life forever and set him on a momentous journey towards the leadership of the
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is a registered unrecognized political party, that campaigns for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal. The party was launched on 7 October 2007. T ...
.
Career
In 1997, Tamang got higher responsibilities and therefore, he was made the President of Sadar I Constituency in DGHC. From 1999 to early 2007, he dedicated his service to medically deprived patients with
cardiac
The heart is a muscular organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissu ...
,
carcinoma
Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesoder ...
,
hemolytic
Hemolysis or haemolysis (), also known by several other names, is the rupturing (lysis) of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the release of their contents (cytoplasm) into surrounding fluid (e.g. blood plasma). Hemolysis may occur in vivo ...
, nephrotic and neurotic ailments.
He was the Media and Management In-Charge of
Prashant Tamang
Prashant Tamang (born 4 January 1983) is an Indian singer and film actor based in Kathmandu. He was the winner of ''Indian Idol Season 3'' in 2007.Gorkhaland Movement, several leaders and activists were arrested. Anit Thapa was arrested in July 2013 and Binoy Tamang was arrested on 21 August 2013.
Anit Thapa was in
Siliguri
Siliguri (, ; ), also known as Shiliguri, is a major Tier ii cities in india, tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms the twin cities, Twin Cities with the neighbouring city of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeel ...
Correctional Home (Jail) for 7 months and Binoy Tamang was in Jalpaiguri Central Correctional Home (Jail) for 6 months. When he was in Jalpaiguri Jail, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Party Central heads and the Elected Sabhasads of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) unanimously gave him the post of Chief Executive, GTA, and that decision was endorsed and approved by
Bimal Gurung
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. He is the 1st chief executive member ...
and it was the month of October 2013.
After designating Binoy Tamang as the Chief Executive of GTA after the short span of just 40 days or so, Bimal Gurung suddenly changed his mind and appointed himself as the Chief Executive of GTA. At the time of oath-taking, they (Tamang and others) were in jail. For the cause of Gorkhas, he along with his co-leaders and activists participated in fast unto death (hunger) strike in front of District Magistrate Office, Darjeeling for 9 days in the year 2012. In September 2013 when he was in Jalpaiguri Central Jail, he went on Fast unto Death Hunger Strike for 10 days.
In the year 2017, during Gorkhaland Movement, he had proposed for Fast Unto death hunger strike during GMCC meeting thrice, finally, during 5th meeting of GMCC, he has declared during a press meet in Mirik for Fast Unto Death Hunger Strike, dramatically Bimal Gurung changed his strategy and asked him to drop his stand of hunger strike.
Gurung's GJM was demanding a separate Gorkha state and in 2017 a massive agitation began which also turned violent. Because of Gurung's mishandling, the situation turned disastrous in which 10 people died in alleged police firing. When Gurung was on the run, the GJM broke up.
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current List of chief ministers of West Bengal, chief minister of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal since 2 ...
was successful in quelling the violent agitation after engineering a split between Bimal Gurung and Binay Tamang, a close aide to Gurung. Tamang alleged that Gurung wanted to get him killed and extended support to TMC along with his faction. In September 2017, the West Bengal Government appointed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Binay Tamang as the chairman of a new board of administrators to run the Darjeeling hills.
In 2019, the Calcutta High Court directed both factions of the GJM not to use the party symbol to contest polls. Tamang stepped down as the Chairman of GTA and fought the State Assembly
By-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.
A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
as an independent candidate with the support of AITC, but he lost the election. Later in that year, he took the decision to go for a fast unto death hunger strike for the welfare of Tea Gardens workers. He sat for Hunger Strike demanding a 20 percent bonus for Tea Gardens Workers on the day of 6 October 2019 and in the afternoon of 11 October 2019, after the intervention of State Government of West Bengal, Tea Stakeholders were agreed on 20 percent bonus.
Tamang has been an active supporter of Nepali Bhasa Manyata Andolan since he was a school student. During the visit of the then
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
Late
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian politician and Indian independence activist, independence activist who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading th ...
to Darjeeling, Binoy Tamang was detained by Darjeeling Sadar Police because he showed him his Black Naughty Boy Shoe (the then PM Morarji Desai deliberately made the statement that the Nepali language is a foreign language and Nepalis are foreigners). Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Bhasa Samity, the Non-Political Organisation which led the movement for Nepali Bhasa, had asked the people of Darjeeling to show black flags during the PM's visit in Darjeeling.
During the Nepali Bhasa movement too, Tamang sat on hunger strike for 2 days at Chowrastha Mall.
In October 2020, Bimal Gurung resurfaced and announced unconditional support to Mamata Banerjee for the 2021 Assembly elections. He said that while Mamata Banerjee always kept her promises, the BJP never kept its word. The Banerjee government cleared their stance on the Gorkhaland issue by not supporting the demand for a separate state. Trinamool Congress allotted three seats (
Kalimpong
Kalimpong is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The region comes under Gorkhaland Territo ...
,
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
,
Kurseong
Kurseong (, ) is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision.
Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throu ...
) in the hills to GJM. Leaders of the Gurung faction had earlier promised to back the TMC in the rest of the 14 seats in
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts. Even though both factions of the GJM (one led by Gurung and another led by Tamang) extended their support to TMC for the 2021 assembly election, both declared to field their candidates in each of the three seats which were allotted to them. As a result, the GJM faction headed by Tamang won only one out of three seats. In July 2021, Binay Tamang announced his resignation from all positions of the party and handed over flags of the party to Gurung. Anit Thapa became the acting president of the second faction of GJM.
Anit Thapa launched a new party ''Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha'' (BGPM) on 9 September 2021. BGPM aligned with the TMC and formed an election committee to contest the GTA elections.
Tamang joined
All India Trinamool Congress
The All India Trinamool Congress (; AITC), simply known as Trinamool Congress, is an Indian political party that is mainly influential in the state of West Bengal. It was founded by Mamata Banerjee on 1 January 1998 as a breakaway faction f ...
on 24 December 2021. Binay Tamang, who had won the 2022 GTA election on a TMC ticket but had left that party afterwards, joined
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
on 26 November 2023. He was expelled from Congress on 23 April 2024.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is a registered unrecognized political party, that campaigns for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal. The party was launched on 7 October 2007. T ...