The Himalayas in and around Darjeeling and Kalimpong and down to Siliguri are in turmoil, several protesters have been killed and many police and protesters injured. Government offices have been set ablaze and police cars burnt.
In its demand for a separate Gorkhaland, the main political party, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), has organized mass marches on government buildings, its leader’s home has been raided and the West Bengal government has closed down access to the internet.
To find the root of the “Gorkhaland” unrest in West Bengal, one has to go back in history.
Read: Unrest in West Bengal as Gorkhas agitate for separate state
Prior to the Treaty of Sugauli between the Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company in 1816, Nepal embraced most of the territory east of Nepal including Sikkim as far as the western border of Bhutan including Darjeeling (Tibetan Dorji-ling).
It also extended east, encompassing Gharwal and Kumaon almost to the border of Kashmir. The Anglo-Nepal war that started in 1814 ended with the capitulation of the Gorkha Kingdom and a peace treaty that deprived Nepal of about one-third of its territory, including what was designated the Darjeeling District of West Bengal.
As is so often the case, arbitrary political boundaries do not reflect the ethnic status of the people living within them but they sow the seeds of potential social unrest and ethnic conflict. Thus the Third Reich’s annexation of the Sudetenland and Russia’s seizure of the Crimea.
And so it came to pass that the Darjeeling District, from the Chumbi valley in the north down to Siliguri in the south, which passed into British Indian hands, was predominantly populated by ethnic Nepalese.
Since Indian independence in 1947, the district was swept into the majority Bengali state of West Bengal and governed from Calcutta.
Padma Shumsher Rana
A historical curiosity needs to be mentioned. When the British were preparing for Indian independence, the then viceroy Lord Mountbatten offered to return to Nepal the territories ceded under the Sugauli Treaty. Sadly, for purely selfish reasons the then maharajah of Nepal, Padma Shumsher Rana, declined the offer. His fear was that the better educated Nepalese in those territories would foment a revolution to end his family’s feudal autocracy.
Read: Meet the Gurkhas, fearsome fighters with a 200-year history
It is a bitter irony that this greedy myopia only bought the Ranas another five years but it subjugated the Nepalese inhabitants of the Darjeeling District to rule by the Bengalis.
West Bengal’s Nepalese struggled under the Bengali yoke. Indian federal legislation passed to discriminate positively in favor of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes – to which the Nepalese did not belong – meant that when it came to employment, the Nepalese were last in line.
This had the effect of making the Nepalese a social and economic underclass, statutorily relegated to the most menial jobs.
Growing dissatisfaction with this unjust situation led to armed rebellion and guerrilla warfare in the 1980s. Eventually, New Delhi condescended to the creation of the Gurkha Hill Council. This was a third-rate form of localized self-government, barely more than a parish council.
Other than restoring peace to this stunningly beautiful part of the world, it did little to improve the lot of the ethnic Nepalese. Bengali rule continued to rankle with them. The Bengalis are a gifted race; under the British Raj they formed the critical bureaucratic mass. But their gifts are matched by their propensity to infuriate.
Matters came to a head when, with extraordinary insensitivity even by West Bengal’s infamous standards, Mamata Bannerjee, the chief minister, decreed that everyone, regardless of ethnicity, must be educated via Bengali as the lingua franca. It was akin to Beijing decreeing that the medium of education in Hong Kong should be Putonghua only.
Gorkhaland in India
Only a crassly ignorant politician would have failed to anticipate a violent reaction by the Nepalese and Banerjee rescinded the order. But the independence genes have been released and the oppressed Nepalese, through the GJM, are now demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland within the Indian Union.
Carving a new state out of an existing one is a discretion within the gift of the president of India
Carving a new state out of an existing one is a discretion within the gift of the president of India. It was last exercised in June 2014 with the creation of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.
There is growing recognition of the administrative and economic advantages of delegating vast tracts of government down to manageable and comprehensible sub-legislatures, especially where there is a defined ethnic/linguistic community.
Opponents of the movement argue that granting statehood to the area’s indigenous population of 1.25 million when measured against India’s population in excess of 1.3 billion does not merit consideration.
Yet, set against the cost of policing aggravated social unrest that disturbs the contribution of tourism and tea plantations to the economy and renders even more complex manning the critical border with China, it would be plainly cost-effective.
Considered historically, culturally, linguistically and socially, long overdue recognition of the not unreasonable demands of the indigenous Nepalese population in this corner of West Bengal by granting Gorkhaland autonomy would surely be an equitable resolution to improve their lives.
After decades of discriminatory treatment, the Nepalese population indigenous to this unique region centered on the “Queen of hill stations” deserves the opportunity to achieve the dignity that would come with a practical measure of autonomy.
But once the genie of protest is out of the bottle, it is difficult to put it back, especially once it waxes violent. Violence, whether against people or property, is no substitute for reasoned argument. Ironically, all too often it only harms the poor. If the GJM want to be taken seriously, especially by a hard-headed leader like Narendra Modi, it must moderate its tactics, otherwise it will all end in tears.
History being retold in its most simplest terms, – loud and clear. Remember history is still in the making and when it concludes it will conclude with a capital H and then Ye shall all sing and praise the glory of mighty Nepal.
it goes without saying that Bengali’s can live without Darjeeling tea not will they die if they don’t go on holidays to Darjeeling . Howver Darjeeling or kalimpong or Kurseong will not aurvive a fortnight without all basic food itema like rice, fish, chicken, eggs and daal. Bravado is fine but saying only Gorkhas are fighting for India and don’t join military is stretching truth to the level of blind hallucination. The First IAF chief of Indian origin, the first full admiral of the navy, the one who made India’s only unified theatre command in Andaman are/ were all Bengali’s.
While we respect the Nepali speaking people and love them as brothers it is a pertinent point that Nepal has many Chinese chamchas and I would not be surprised if this agitation is egged on by them.
I am appalled at the blatant racist anti-Bengali comments of the writer. I wonder what would the reaction of media if it is returned with full compliments.
article is blatantly biased and does not take into consideration the national security risk of creating another state in India’s slim chicken ‘s neck of north. Bengal which is the gateway to entire north eastern states.
People should also read my views on the politics behind this issue in my blog : http://www.angrybangalee.tumblr.com
Immidiate solution to end violence is to have presidential rule. Long term solutions can then be considered…. either as an autinomous area within West Bengal or as the 30th provincial state of India. etc.
Vikrant Dewan can u plz tell me what was the rectification?then i’ll tell u other half…
Very factual reasoning! If Mr. Narendra Modi will think coolly, the best way to resolve the present crisis is by giving recognition to Gorkhaland within the Indian Union Territory ! He will have the best wishes from all around and the most devoted Gorkha Army !
There shouldn’t be another small state near a critical border, which except tourism is depending upon hinterland.If it happens, Pandora box will be opened for many more sundry states in Bengal and NE.
As per this article true & complete justice could be met with the Nepali speaking population is by annexing the entire region with the country of Nepal which is, whether one likes or not, an impossible proposition notwithstanding historical,cultural, linguistic & social considerations.
The author has expressed populist but myopic view when he says that hills are ruled by Bengalis. In a democratic republic called India we all are ruled by the law of the land rather than on linguistic or communal lines.
As far as discrimination is concerned let me tell u an undesirable fact that, as things stand today, it is realistically impossible for linguistic minorities living in hills to live a life with complete seif respect. Hence it’s time to introspect rather than spit retorics
Many many thanks SIR for the Article which is beautifully articulated and explained in a very simple LAYMAN’S term even the least educated would be able to understand very clearly…. Whatever you have Articulated its VERY TRUE according to the History
I beg to differ in this. Sikkim is smaller than the hills of Darjeeling. It is one of the richest and well managed. It is also conferred as one of the cleanest states in India. And most importantly, the people of Sikkim are the happiest. And yes it is a tiny block smaller than the proposed area of Gorkhaland if you are unaware. Yes, nothing is above the Constitution but simultaeneously nothing is above the citizens. The Constitution is not rigid and can be amended for the betterment of it’s people. Anyways, what will happen to the constitution and a country if there were no people living in it. And talking about economics, the tiny block you have mentioned is economically very sound. At the moment the WB govt is still doing colonial politics where the locals get zero benefit while the WB govt steals 100% of its share. Take for example the Darjeeling Tea industry. None of the tea garden owners are locals, all are based in Kolkata which is about 700 km away. Some even don’t come to the tea gardens. How will these so called owners learn and soothe the worries of the tea garden workers (the real locals)? And the tea wages provided are meagre while the tea garden owners enjoy huge profits. These all has to return to Darjeeling and it’s people. Darjeeling and the hills will be one of the richest states in India and can highly contribute to the betterment of our nation, India. Tea is just one, tourism is another and there are various others. From the time of Independence, there has been no setup of any kind of industry by the WB govt apart from the tea gardens which was the work of the Britons and not the WB govt, while neighbouring sikkim which shares the same topography has implemented various. Darjeeling Hills has to divorce from the demonic rule of the WB govt and its colonial policies. Bengal should stop the ego and instead understand the situation. Bengal should stop being stubborn in keeping the part which was never theirs.
Not sure how two insigfican’t sub-divisions , with VERY LITTLE revenue ( will become another liability of Indian union ) of a district can make an Indian state ? BTW They already have a Gorkhaland as Nepal.
yes! Its a history of kingdom of nepal but gorkhas and gorkha word and place derive prior to the treaty, being as nepalese I’m not suggesting separate gorkhaland. It is possible just in the case of loard buddha birthplace (actual birth place Lumbini nepal , lumbivana from india). As we scroll data more peoples speaks nepalese than hindi, are all they nepalese ?? even the people from darjeeling join nepal they will not get separate gorkhaland because that’s one is fake, they are similar to us. #aayo gorkhali #bir gorkhali #we nepali.
I truely recommend Abhisek lama’s statement. Ms. Mamta Banerjee only rectified later in her second speech held in Mirik, when the things had already gone wild.
It was declared twice as a compulsory language even for non bengali masses. Once by herself and then thereafter by one of her goon minister. The intent was to bengalise the hill people.
May be a separate state is the solution or may be not. But the article has a big mistake. Never did the Mamata govt say that the medium of teaching will be Bengali. Please correct the mistake. Otherwise, the article is worth a read.
True and no fabrication..history as is.
Your writing hit the bull’s eye. Time for action now !
This is justice…………by your writing this awesome article…..VERY TRUE…….!!!
Absolutely true and to the point articulated summarised thank you sir