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.
The so called agitation here i didn’t see any non violence movement…but the leaders r claiming that set r doing there agitation by non violence movement…but it’s toally rubbish nd false…the agitatotors burnt the govt buildings ,govt vehicles nd many more…all r recorded in the public domain…the report will soon b reported in Kolkata high court…they even burnt tmc head office in kalimpong too…all tmc were beaten black nd blue …nd some were still critical…even dey tortured bengali of the hills ..gorkhas agitators put bengali in the rally nd make them to support fr gorkhaland…those is very shameful…maximum bengalis were coming down frm hills to siliguri bcz dey were given threat by the gorkhas agitators..even dey were attack police station at midnight ,specially dey attack bengali police officers…all were sent to siliguri hospital..even dey attack crpf many times nd in defence dey fired fr there self defence nd in dat some of evils were killed…nd now dey r doing drama on the name of departed soul…even dey attack one tap with their khurkhi nd killed dat police personal….bandh nd violence r totally against the law of our country…supreme court stated dat bandh and violence r totally illegal…but the agitators nd there mass followers r doing against the supreme court decision….I’m asking is it non violence movement? Shame on all of them…hope sooner or later dey work with gta terms nd develop hills with the the money…hooe peace prevails soon in hills nd even the mass or the people should open there eyes nd start working without dreaming usesless demand…jai hind
It’s my article about Gorkhaland . And why do Nepal support for Gorkhaland ? http://www.tudikhel.com/2017/07/01/7699
Deep Sharma : Please be respectful of elders . Where are your manners , son ? What do you mean "this man" ??? Did your parents and Goethals teach you this behaviour ?
If you have not read my blog then stop talking about it.
I understand Nepali and know what you mean in your last line. I can give it back to you hear itself but my culture , parents and schooling are slightly more cultured than yours. Chill dusht bachha. Anyone who does not agree to your viewpoint is not Shaitan. Check your concepts first.
Gorkhaland will never happen in Bengal.
Period.
#SayNoToGorkhalandInBengal.
Suraj Giri : Perhaps you have no idea how much is my love for Nepali speaking people..whether Indian or Nepali and I don’t quiet underatsnd where you found hatred in my blog…I don’t know what you are talking about . rather I am going through all comments in various groups and fora and find exceedingly horrible and disgusting comments about Bengalis being made. This is unacceptable. I hope you understand that I do not read government propaganda and am fully aware of all problems in the hills of North Bengal…rather I should say all problems in entire eastern India as I have been to every state and town with over a lakh population . I read and hear and interact with a lot of people across all communities and am fully aware of the cultures and sensitivities of people.
Above all my sensitivies are national interests first.
Suraj Giri Bro, the moment, I saw this man’s blog link, I was damn sure, that it is anti Gorkha, therefore, didn’t open it. This guy has shit in his head. I have seen his comments and have counter commented as well. It’s a pity that this guy is very less informed. For him, it’s a matter of sentiment, that’s all. He is so used to bragging to his folks that Darjeeling, the Queen of hills, is in his state and all that jazz. He has never bothered to see and feel the aspirations of millions to Gorkhas to have their own state. That’s why all that ranting and barking. Talking like a intellectual when he is not. Completely misinformed. Yo manchey ta shaitan nai ho ni.
Mukherjee Indranil Mukherjee Indranil Let me tell u one thing. West Bengal is nothing but Waste Bengal of the 21st century. It is one of the poorest big states and highly debt ridden. Apart from Darjeeling districts, no other districts gives it revenue running in multi crores. WB has nothing to boast of. No MNCs setup offices there. The multi crores in revenue that has been looted by the West Bengal govt., ur homeland from where you so proudly give your bullshit analysis trying to act very intellectual when u are so damn ignorant. Revenues from tea, tourism, timber, hydel power, sericulture, cincohna plantation, cross border trade all feeds the rest of Bengal. The amount runs in thousands of crores. Name one district apart from Darjeeling and Dooars which gives ur state so much revenue. U can’t name it, cuz there is none, beside Kolkata. Rest of the places of Bengal like malda, murshidabad, purulia, Bashirhat are all filthy breeding grounds for Bangladeshi jihadists, while our Gorkhas lay down their lives serving the country valiantly, ur CPM as well as Mamata govt. loots us of our resources and funds infiltration of Bangladeshis and u talk about some of our Gorkhas being Chinese chamchas huh?? Ok, not speaking of which, I would like to remind u that Darjeeling doesn’t share an immediate border with China. Get ur facts right. Sikkim does. And u know wat, the CM of Sikkim is a Gorkha and he has been elected for 25years approx and from the time Sikkim was merged, there has been no pro-Chinese agitation. Get out of that phobia outta ur mind old man. And wat else did u say, Bengalis can live without Darjeeling tea?? Now, who the hell begged u to drink Darj tea. Did we?? The tea, is anyways exported to EU an other countries, it’s the revenue u people loot. Coming to tourism, u said u guys can do without travelling to Darjeeling. Listen, even we don’t want some cheap "jhaal moori" tourists like urself. Yes, jhaal moori is the word to describe all these Bangladeshis and low income group travellers like u’ll from rest of Bengal who bring in no revenue instead dirty the place, have no Civic sense. Darjeeling was never a part of West bengal, therefore, u don’t have to get too senti. Infact, the first chaiman of Silliguri municipality was a Gorkha Mr George Marbert Subba. Places of Silliguri are named after Gorkhas like Champasari Pradhannagar Gurung basty, all Gorkha names. Therefore, on what basis do u say that Gorkhaland is not viable? Just like WB is for Bengalis, Gorkhaland is for Gorkhas. Lastly, according to a survey done by the Brits in 1830s circa, there are Gorkhas including Lepchas, Bhutias, there were Adivasis, Rajbanshis, but NO BENGALIS!!! Brush up ur history Mr. before you rant. Even Rajbanshis were fed up of ur WB’s misrule, therefore they started KLO. Remember, u can’t change history. I am not saying Bengalis have not contributed to this nation, infact, their contribution has been enormous, but was has startled me and other Gorkhas is ur sheer ignorance in the matter of Gorkhaland. I just hope someone enlightens u. Alas, u have been super fed with pro-bengali fake news. Come out of ur cozy corner and please visit libraries nearby, u have British council, etc, read about Darjeeling from independent sources, that might help change ur view. U sound like an educated fool for now!!
Darjeeling was merged with the state of west bengal after independence India..what the indeginous people of Darjeeling wants is a demerge..Darjeeling, the Dooars and Terai was never a part of West Bengal so it cannot say Bengal cannot be divided when Darjeeling was never theirs.
True point. i would appreciate your support by publishing more of the articles related with Darjeeling region
A timely article thank you Nevelli Sir. If only those in power for once put aside their selfish agendas and take the right steps !
I read ur article but couldn’t complete reading it because ur article is nothing but a hatred for nepali community. Your facts are purely based on those biased reports. Myself belonging to the area I see none of Nepal citizen people coming and settling at our place. If u give an option to Nepal citizen to stay in India nobody will come because i don’t know whether u knw it or not they hate Indians. They wil never come to India and settle here. They don’t want to. If there was any such migration in last 50yrs my grandfather sud hv seen it but he doesn’t mention any such events nor we hv heard any such mass migration from Nepal. Being native to that place I am hearing from you. So plz don’t spread rumors. We are staying in that place since many centuries even long before India formed. Bengal has no connection at all to that place historically culturally or by any means. Plz give me one valud reason why Darjeeling sud be ruled by Bengal. You cannot fool us by quoting false facts and figures. U talk abt migration, connection with Chinese…. sud i laugh or be angry. This shows you hv ZERO knowledge about that area and people living in that area. Sir plz update ur knowledge. Don’t jst read books written by biased Bengali administration. Go to that place and try to read mentality of the people there and then write an article. Jai Hind.
Nice
No Gorkhaland exists in India
It is not racist, but talks about the oppression of the West Bengal govt done on the Gorkhas for decades and if you belong to that group, then sadly truth is always bitter. And talking about racist, I have mentioned earlier that the Gorkhas are not against any community neither Bengali, Gurjarati etc but fighting for their own identity. Bengal should let go of theie ego and respect the democratic pillars which are the foundation of this great nation, India.
I am quite surprised as to why every pro-Gorkhaland article or news becomes biased and the pro-TMC WB oriented out of Calcutta becomes unbiased and true. Mamata Banerjee filed a case against Republic TV for reporting the truth and it is the truth because it resonates with the whole of Darjeeling while sadly, nothing resonates with Bengal based media. I don’t care who is liked with who but as a media house, truth should be told and the people of Darjeeling are standing with Republic TV for their utter heroism and still continuing despite threats by Mamata Banerjee.
And regarding the national security risk, how can you be so sure that it will be safe if Darjeeling stays in Bengal? Do you have solid proof to support your theory. I think not. It saddens me to say that Bengal is at a greater risk with the infiltration of Bangladeshis from Bangladesh which is the very reason for the recent violents in Basirhat. Mamata Banerjee is trying to provide citizenship to all Bangladeshis who have already made a 5 year stay. This is giving more reasons for Bangladeshis to illegally infiltrate into the Indian soil which mind you is a National threat to India. And you are talking about the chicken neck. And according to your theory Sikkim is one of the smallest states in India, should this then be annexed to Bengal or another state? I am sorry to say but, I see no logic in your comment. With headquarters 700 km away, I guess you are not a bird to control the situation if anything arises. So I totally don’t agree with this theory too. Creation of Gorkhaland will not loosen the national security but will strengthen it.
Mukherjee Indranil Sir, I am sorry to inform you that you have utterly failed to understand what i have written about Darjeeling Tea, but whatever I have written is the truth. Deny it if you can. I am referring to the colonial polices regarding Darjeeling Tea done by the WB govt through decades. Apart from the wages to the tea workers which is meagre and saddening, nothing is given back to the community but sucked like a dry bone. I am talking about the tea workers who are oppressed and demanding justification. I am not talking about the tea drinking habits of a Bengali. But to inform you Bengalis love Darjeeling Tea and with the formation of Gorkhaland, Darjeeling Tea will still be provided to Bengal. Its no big issue. Regarding tourism, here to Bengalis love Darjeeling and Bengalis will be welcome more royally than now after the formation of Gorkhaland. Your summer paradise will always remain.
And regarding economy, it will be a tiny state a little bigger than sikkim. According to your logic Sikkim should have been a dead state decades ago. But to inform you, the Darjeeling Tea industry we talked about is just one industry. There are plenty of such things in the hills of Darjeeling which can keep us self sufficient and will be one of the richest states in India. Its sad on the part of WB govt that nothing was explored and implemented from the time of Independence. WB has sucked the blood out of the people of the hills and gave nothing. Otherwise who would revolt if one is happy. Support us in our demand of statehood and it will be our headache to survive or not. WB will no longer be bearing the headache whether the hill people are dying or not. Let us prove ourselves and try and contribute to the Indian econonmy in a better way.
And regarding the Gorkhas in the army and as to why people are talking about it. Its really simple, you already have a state of your own and your people have a home and are happy. It is evident from your very comment of Nepali-Chinese connection that you are pointing us towards Nepal. Yes, it is for these kinds of questions raised on Gorkhas for their Indian Identity that we have to and are trying to prove that we are very much Indians as you are and we love India. This is why the Gorkhas in the Indian army are very often reffered to in an attempt to prove our identity. And your theory of Nepali-Chinese egging the movement seems a one man thought without any proof and poorly thought upon. You don’t have to prove which Bengalis under what rank they were or in the Indian army because nobody is asking you to prove. You don’t have to prove anything because you are not asked or questioned like us in regard to our Indian identity. You already have what you should have while we don’t. Underdevelopment and oppression is one and the greater factor is the identity crisis the GOrkhas are facing which gives rise to the demand of Gorkhaland.
However Hard headed Delhites may be if they really dont care for Gorkhas whose EVEN BABY FOOD is stopped by TMC.
Going to NEPAL or worst CHINA is only solution. As BJP is only intrested in winning elections in West Bengal, they care shit about GORKHALAND. This has been prooved over last 10 years of support they asked & Got from Gorkhas.
Now people are realising as how Anti National feelings are born in HONEST Law Abiding Citizens.
Mukherjee Indranil educated fool. we are ready to die for our country but never betray our country. you live in west bengal n you Show your love to Bangladesh.. so please don’t try to connect us with China..
Mukherjee Indranil sir with due respect to what you have written i think its a little unfair even if Gorkhaland is created the Bengalis would not have to part with Darjeeling tea nor would they have to part with their favourite summer destination. I would like to inform you that no state is self sufficient in everything. Bengal Assam might send rice to wheat producing states and vice versa. Air chief Arup Raha is a proud Indian who and we are all proud of him. But Gorkhas an uneducated lot who knew nothing but raw power and got into the army especially infantry. The Gorkhas courage has been admired and applauded but there is still no trust in the Indian Establishment to give Gorkhas an important post. The highest designation a Gorkha has been at is the Lt. General rank. Inspite of Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Manekshaw was from the Gorkha Regiment. The last army General Dalbir Singh and the currrent army chief General Bipin Rawat both are from Gorkha Regiment. And your last statement assuming that Nepal is close to China and they could have formented trouble here still considers us as anti nationals. Your statement as you said "while we respect Nepali speaking people and we love them as brothers" you still consider as Nepal citizens. When an educated person like you have this to think about us what can we expect from the masses who are not educated as you. But thats the way it is. "If india gets freedom it will be on the blood of the Gorkhas" Netaji Subash Chandra Bose.
Sir national security issue will come up if these gorkhas get misguided by foreign powers like China. Then we would have another Kashmir in the making but with Gorkhas as loyal as one could get China for the last 70 years hasn’t found one single soul unlike thousands in Kashmir.
As per the article it is truly mentioned that DISCRIMINATION….. N……DIVISION among gorkha had started years back…to neutralise or end of seperate state of gorkhaland is slow poison by mamta govt. N attacked on language in a chance of test……but……It goes fail. ..N. .ultimately end of TMC in hill…….