MY GORKHALAND

Duars killing of Gorkhas by West bengal Police

2011-02-12T12:05:00.003+05:30

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2008-10-29T12:59:00.002+05:30

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2008-07-05T15:05:00.001+05:30

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GORKHALAND: FROM HIMALAYA DARPAN

2008-07-04T08:34:00.004+05:30

STORM BREWING IN THE MOUNTAINS

2008-07-04T08:20:00.000+05:30

The indifference of the state government towards the people of Darjeeling makes a separate state the obvious solution to their problems, writes Mahendra P. Lama
The inevitable has happened in Darjeeling district. The demand for Gorkhaland has erupted once again, and this time in a much more vocal, sweeping and determined manner than the last. There are four primary reasons for this. First, the setting up of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1988 as a solution to the last round of Gorkhaland agitation of the Eighties failed to do Darjeeling any good. The DGHC had no power to speak of, as it remained under the control of the Writers’ Building. Its chairman, Subhas Ghisingh, ran it as a personal fief and with the tacit support of the Bengal administration, systematically demolished well-known institutions and created a deep sense of insecurity among the people. The West Bengal government obviously enjoyed this throttling of democratic rights and further consolidated its friendship with Ghisingh. Even nine months back, the Bengal government maintained that there are no opposition parties in Darjeeling.
Second, if Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chhattisgarh could happen without much fuss, why not Gorkhaland? An autonomous Gorkhaland would complete the geographical definition of the North-east. If Sikkim and Assam are parts of the North-east, then why not the contiguous Darjeeling district and the Dooars? The political history of the demand for Gorkhaland dates back to 1907. The memorandum submitted by the Hillmen’s Association to Sir Samuel Hoare, the Secretary of State for India, on October 25, 1930, states in detail why the hill people wanted to remain outside Bengal. Ghisingh and his party, the Gorkha National Liberation Front, sold out the core issue of Gorkhaland just to remain in power. This movement, like that for the constitutional recognition of the Nepali language before it happened in 1992, has been linked to questions of Gorkha identity and of the need to acknowledge their contribution in the making of modern India.
Third, the last 20 years have shown clearly that the Bengal government’s interest in Darjeeling is only skin deep. It continues to treat most parts of Darjeeling and the Dooars as an ‘internal colony’. This attitude was reflected most clearly in the way the government tried to impose the Sixth Schedule status on Darjeeling. For the Gorkhaland agitators, this proved to be the last straw.
Last, the sharp decline in economic and other opportunities within Bengal and the steady rise of Sikkim as a political power have had a serious effect on the Darjeeling region. Every one there now feels that the only way to ensure development for the hill people is to let them have a constituent state of their own.
Unlike the Gorkhaland agitation of the Eighties, this time the movement has spread not only all over Darjeeling but has also covered the Dooars region of Jalpaiguri district. As the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha took up the cause of Gorkhaland, it received tremendous and spontaneous support from the people. It is necessary to understand the fundamental differences between the Eighties protests and the present campaign.
Twenty years after the DGHC was formed, the people have become acutely conscious of the negligence and deprivation they are being subjected to. It is an awareness they did not possess last time. After two decades of misrule, they have realized how hollow the political intentions of the ruling elites of Darjeeling are. As a consequence, the movement has become more widespread. It is almost entirely being carried forward by the younger generation from across various communities — Marwaris, Biharis, Bengalis, Koche-meches and Gorkhas. While the mainstream political parties are nowhere to be seen now, in the last phase there had been a strong opposition from the cadre of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) operating in the hills. The presence of local, national and international media is a major boost to the movement.
The protest movement has now included the Dooars on the ground that a state that includes the hills and a part of the plains will have a solid economic viability. With the major tea gardens falling within this area and given the huge hydel power potential, attractive tourist destinations, important educational institutions and roughly four international borders, Gorkhaland will be one of the most developed states in the country. The future state can generate millions of dollars by diplomatically managing the economic transactions in the border areas. Darjeeling, as a brand-name, is well known all over the world. If rightly repositioned, it would attract a large number of multi-national companies and both domestic and foreign investment.
The protests this time have been non-violent, unlike the Eighties, when a large number of people were killed and properties destroyed. Moreover, in contrast to the last phase of agitation, the current struggle is receiving positive signals from the Union government, which seems to be fairly disposed towards the idea of giving a durable solution to the problem. The West Bengal government had called the GNLF movement ‘anti-national’. It had then promised to undertake substantial projects for development in the district. But even after two decades, it has nothing to show for its efforts. The government had been warned many a time about the steadily deteriorating situation in the hills. But it chose political convenience in prolonging Ghisingh’s debilitating rule rather than lend a ear to the grievances of the people.
The emergence of a dangerously communal outfit like Amra Bangali, blatantly parochial statements made by the urban development minister, Asok Bhattacharya, and police violence at the peaceful demonstration by veteran armymen clearly show how the government is resorting to condemnable tactics to suppress the hill people. Their agitations, like those in Nandigram, are more against state oppression than anything else. Today, the people of the Darjeeling district are demanding answers to questions such as why the entire tea and cinchona industry is in the doldrums, what happened to the rich forest resources, why are there starvation deaths in the Dooars tea gardens, why are the three hill subdivisions still crying for drinking water and basic health facilities, and why Darjeeling has only two drinking water reservoirs in Sinchal, built in 1910 and 1931 by the British administration. There are various other signs of neglect by the state government. There are no panchayats in Darjeeling and hardly any Central government schemes are implemented here. Except in the state assembly, the people of Darjeeling figure nowhere in the decision-and policy-making process of West Bengal.
If West Bengal thinks of Darjeeling as its ‘crown’, then why has there never been a tableau on the Queen of the Hills in the Republic Day parades in New Delhi for the last 60 years ? The state government has not added a single good educational institution to the entire hill region after 1947. What do the people of the Dooars and Darjeeling gain out of hydel projects like those on the Teesta, Rammam or Jaldhaka ? And, had it not been for the local residents and admirers of Darjeeling from outside India, the toy train would not have been included in the Unesco’s world heritage list. These are some of the complaints of the hill people today. They take these as the indicators of a policy of discrimination followed by the state government in dealing with the hill region. It is striking that even after Ghisingh’s humiliating exit, the Bengal administration still has nothing more to offer other than the talk about a few more freebies in the already defunct basket of autonomy.
All eyes are now rained on the way the Morcha conducts itself in its forward march. It is up to the Morcha now to enlist the support of other local and national political parties to its cause and to convince the state and Union governments about the inevitability of a separate state for the hill people. In the process, it has to find solutions to such vexed issues as those over the alleged advantages enjoyed by the people of the plains over those of the hills, and the communal insinuations being delivered deliberately by the political leaders of the ruling party in Siliguri. The tasks are not easy, to say the least. However, there is one assurance. The public opinion, as expressed in the media, is clearly in favour of a separate Gorkhaland. After all, why not a 29th state in the grand, ever-expanding federal structure of the country ?
The author prepared the first Development Plan of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1989. The position he holds has no bearing on the views expressed in this article (The Telegraph)

Top cop raises KLO alert Inspector-general says extremist outfit regrouping in Jalpaiguri, Malda and the Dinajpurs

2008-07-04T08:11:00.001+05:30

Siliguri, July 2: The intelligence wing of Bengal police has found enough proof to suggest that the KLO is trying to regroup in three districts of north Bengal, state inspector-general of police (law and order) Raj Kanojia said today.
“From inputs received from the intelligence wing, we have come to know that a fresh batch of KLO militants is trying to reorganise in Jalpaiguri, Malda and parts of Dinajpur districts,” Kanojia told reporters at Siliguri Circuit House.
The officer added that a number of other insurgent groups existed in north Bengal. “There are so many issues here. KLO and border-related issues are among them. I have discussed the issues with local police officials. We are getting information about Maoist activities as well and are alert about it,” he said.
The inspector-general arrived here on Monday and during his stay, reviewed law and order and force deployment in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts. He left for Calcutta this afternoon.
Kanojia did not comment on the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha or the possibility of force deployment if the party re-imposes its indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling hills after July 5.
The hills are currently enjoying a bandh breather.
“I do not want to comment on these issues as everything has been stated by the state home secretary yesterday,” said the inspector-general.
However, Kanojia added: “Keeping in mind the current situation in the hills, besides keeping armed police, we also have the Straco Force, which was formed about a year ago. This force has been trained here in north Bengal and another batch is currently being trained in Panagarh.”
The Straco Force comprises men selected from police forces posted all over the state. The army trained them through its Junior Leaders’ Training Establishment that was set up in 2005.
If the Morcha bandh resumes, the administration’s main concern will be to keep open NH31A — the lifeline of Sikkim — which was affected during the earlier phases of the agitation.(The Telegraph)

Court blasts states ‘helpless’ in bandh

2008-07-04T08:04:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, July 3: The Supreme Court today slammed state governments for their habit of pleading “helplessness” when supporters of “illegal” bandhs harass people through “muscle power”.
The court’s observations came as it asked the Bengal government to ensure that the sole highway to Sikkim was open to traffic when the indefinite Darjeeling hills bandh resumed from Saturday.
“Every day some part of the country or the other is blocked. Roads, railroads are blocked… and you are not doing anything as it is the election year. No one can be allowed to hold the country to ransom,” a two-judge bench said.
“You (the Bengal government) are waiting for a court order to do something that you should do by yourself… then you say there is interference and judicial overreach.”
Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice G.S. Singhvi referred to the recent bandh in Hyderabad during which seven patients died because they could not reach hospital in time.
“Movement of medicine, fuel and everything gets affected and the state expresses its helplessness. This cannot be allowed,” the court said.
The court was hearing a petition by Sikkim resident .P. Bhandari that mentioned the blockade of the state during the recent bandh in the Darjeeling hills.
When Bengal counsel Tara Chand Sharma said there was no strike at present and the state should be given time to reply, the court said: “What about July 5? What is going to happen then? You should stop thinking and do something.”
It added: “You are the state of West Bengal. You are required to maintain law and order… keep the national highway (No. 31) free for traffic.”
The bench directed the Centre to provide whatever help the Sikkim and Bengal governments sought in the matter.
Morcha attack
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders accused the Bengal government of using the Sikkim issue to create a rift between the Himalayan state and the Darjeeling hills. “We’ll ourselves solve the issue with Sikkim; the Bengal government is trying to create trouble,” said Morcha central committee member Amar Lama. (The Telegraph)

Gurung only interested in tripartite talks

2008-07-04T08:02:00.000+05:30

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Thursday said it was no longer interested in holding talks with the West Bengal government on Gorkhaland issue and was awaiting tripartite talks in Delhi.
GJM president Bimal Gurung made the comment while reacting to West Bengal Home Secretary A M Chakraborty's recent statement here last week that further talks between the GJM and state government were required to find a solution to the Darjeeling problem.
Gurung said that during talks with the West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, in the last week of June, GJM leaders had requested Bhattacharjee to take the initiative for tripartite talks involving the Centre, state government and GJM.
"But we have not received any further invitation from the government. We can give our opinion only after we receive the invitation," Gurung said.
The GJM's insistence on tripartite talks, meanwhile, received a shot in the arm when three major constituents of the Darjeeling district Left Front -- CPI, AIFB and RSP -- unequivocally stressed the need for having immediate three-way dialogue.
Darjeeling district secretary of Forward Bloc Smritish Bhattacharya told PTI that the state government should take an immediate initiative for the talks.
Similarly, the CPI district secretary, Ujjawal Choudhury, said the state government should not lose any further time for the talks and the GJM at the same time should come forward with a positive frame of mind.
RSP district secretary Benoy Chakraborty went a step further, saying, "The GJM is doing the right thing by not showing interest in talks with the state government as the government has created the situation itself by indulging Ghising for almost two decades." (The Hindu)

Pintail village not to let battalion in

2008-07-04T08:01:00.001+05:30

Statesman News Service SILIGURI, July 3: Pandemonium broke out at the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council tourist resort ‘Pintail Village’ in Siliguri this afternoon over providing accommodation to the security personnel summoned in view of the turmoil in the Darjeeling hills. Apprehending escalation of the Darjeeling turmoil, the administration has summoned about five companies of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and obtained permission from the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to lodge the personnel at the ‘Pintail Village’ tourist resort located on the outskirt of Siliguri. On the other hand, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM), which is spearheading the renewed bout for Gorkhalnad, is occupying a number of cottages at ‘Pintail Village’ and is using those for its political activities. The GJMM central committee, its Siliguri sub-divisional wing and the women wing are occupying one cottage each allegedly without any formal permission from the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council authorities. A section of the hill students too had moved into the ‘Pintail Village’ following the violence in Siliguri during an anti-Gorkhaland band on 12 June and since then has been appearing for their under-graduate examinations in Siliguri colleges from the resort. Thus, when the IRB troops moved into the resort last afternoon and were taking accommodation in the cottages, a section of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha activists confronted them demanding that apart from the three cottages occupied by the GJMM directly, one more cottage would have to be spared for the hill students to enable them to appear for their examinations which are yet to conclude. With night descending, the tension subdued yesterday only to resurface this afternoon after the security personnel allegedly tossed away the furniture in use by the students. Pandemonium broke out at the resort, with the GJMM activists and a few of the students present opposing the action demanding another cottage for the students at the same time. Police teams from the Pradhannagar police station and the Sukna outpost arrived at the spot and saved the situation. According to the ASP Siliguri, Mr Rajesh Yadav, the feud over accommodation has been resolved amicably. “There are a number of cottages at ‘Pintail Village’ and both the IRB personnel and the hill students would lodge there,” the ASP said.The tourist resort ‘Pintail Village’ was a dream project of the former DGHC chairman, Mr Subash Ghisingh. The resort was built on a plot leased out by the state government to the DGHC as per provisions of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Agreement of 1988.

‘Gorkhaland’: GJMM seeks Advani’s intervention

2008-07-04T07:58:00.000+05:30

DARJEELING, July 3: The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha is all set to submit documents pertaining to the separate state of Gorkhaland to the leader of the Opposition in Parliament Mr LK Advani. “The outcome of meetings with the different leaders in New Delhi recently proved fruitful. We will submit various documents of Darjeeling, Dooars, Terai and Siliguri from the time those areas were ceded to Bengal from their respective territories,” said GJMM general secretary Mr Roshan Giri today. With the nuclear deal controversy coming in the way of the Gorkhaland movement, Mr Giri cleared that the larger perspective must be considered before taking any decisions. “The Centre is busy trying to save the UPA-Left coalition, which may collapse any day. It would be wise for us to make our moves according to the present political situation. It is encouraging that the union home minister assured that Gorkhaland is a constitutional demand and has not been ruled out by the Centre. He has even agreed to a tripartite meeting to discuss the demand,” Mr Giri said. Countering the hill-based Opposition parties’ allegation that the GJMM's actions lacked transparency, party central committee member, Mr Amar Lama said: “There is speculation why we went to Kolkata two days ahead of the meeting with the chief minister. The reason is that our party units are being set up in Kolkata and we had to look over such matters. We had no hidden agenda.” Mr Lama further added: “Some anti-Gorkhaland elements are trying to counter the Gorkhaland movement by linking it with controversial issues like the Greater Nepal theory. It would not affect the movement.” n SNS

Volunteers for Gorkhaland movement

2008-07-03T14:21:00.001+05:30

BY BENUPRAJ BHATTARAI
DARJEELING (INDIA), July 3 - Hundreds of youths here are busy enrolling themselves in the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP), a contingent of volunteers representing Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) that has been struggling for separate statehood for Nepali speakers since the past eight months.
At the initial stage, GJM has decided to recruit around 2000 GLP from Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Dooars regions. GLP will be mobilized throughout the proposed Gorkhaland boundary to provide support to the ongoing Gorkhaland Movement.
Besides, the GLP will also be used to provide security to GJM leaders, undertake social reforms and assist the local administration. The tasks of GLP selection, training and management are being supervised by GJM's sister organization, Ex-Indian Gorkha Army Front.
"The proposed GLP will be different, of greater standard and more disciplined than the Indian Police Force," claimed the Front chairman Colonel Ramesh Ale.
According to GJM Publicity Secretary Binay Tamang, the recruitment process will be complete by mid-July and selected GLP will be mobilized after they undergo a seven-week long training session. "GLP will be unarmed and they will be mobilized peacefully as GJM volunteers, staying within the norms set by the Indian constitution," said Tamang. Aware that mobilization of GLP could mean GJM's unannounced challenge to the state's security, the West Bengal (WB) and the Indian federal government have already corresponded with GJM leadership for a fresh round of talks to discuss its demand.
GJM has also shown positive response to the talks invitation. Earlier, GJM had spurned the talks offer of WB state government. (Kantipur)

Gorkhaland: An unrealistic proposition

2008-06-29T12:44:00.001+05:30

CJ: Sujit Roy

The latest developments on Gorkhaland issue have given birth to several mind-boggling questions. How far is the proposition for separate Gorkhaland practical? Is it really a demand on ethnic issues or does the GJM have some master-plan.?.

THE FRUITLESS bipartite talks between the West Bengal chief minister and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) have added a fresh lease of life to the Gorkhaland movement. Apart from this, a public announcement of the GJM leader Vimal Gurung to create Gorkhaland before 2010 and to go underground for six months before that has also breathed life into the movement. Sikkim’s Democratic Front leader and former state chief minister BB Gurung’s claim for the separate state of Gorkhaland is another contributor to the recent turn of events.
It may be noted that all these developments have shaped up in the same day. At the same time, these series of events have given birth to the question on the future of the hill queen, its added localities and its people.
The biggest question that romps on the current political situation is that whither goes Darjeeling? Will the state and the Centre ever allow the separation of West Bengal and creation of a new state? If so, at whose cost and for what reason? If not, what will be Gurung’s strategy? Will he follow the path of Ghising for a blood shedding movement? And even if Darjeeling gains its separate statehood, how will it run without having a strong economic backup?
It is anybody’s guess that the Centre will not bow down to the demands of the GJM, considering the demand on ethnic issues. Once the claim is approved, ethnic issues in other states too will gain momentum and that will be horrible to tackle. This will be a very costly proposition because the base of the movement lies in separatism - the most vulnerable danger before the central government. Another issue, which is more important, is the demographic situation of Darjeeling. Being a northern border area, Darjeeling has always posed threat of foreign aggression. Leave aside the immigration issues, largely related with illegal intrusion. This threat will mount manifold if Sikkim joins the movement because Sikkim is close to China. China has already claimed a part of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The movers claim a bigger state with the inclusion of the Terai region. This is also a foolish proposition because this will give birth to serious political trouble and ethnic issues. Communal clashes are also not overruled. Is it believable that the Bengali population of the Terai region will accept the rule of the Gorkhas to remain as second class citizens?
So what will be Gurung’s stand in the expected scenario? He will go underground, as announced and definitely the announcement is not to hide from the movement but more evidently for initiating something more vigorous, even if it is not in the style of guerilla warfare. Is the state and the Centre ready to undertake the trouble of a greater master-plan to disturb the country’s communal and demographic fabric?
However, the most vulnerable point to be discussed in different forums is whether the Gurungs will be able to run, perhaps, the smaller state Gorkhaland without having enough revenues? And whether West Bengal will agree to abandon the revenue whatever may be the amount, being collected from the hill corner?
Administering a state without sufficient revenue generation is an imprudent offer because it is not like running a small family. The poorest family can only survive on begging. And in the case of Gorkhaland, the Gurungs will have to survive on central aids and subsidies. This is more troubling than freedom.
The hill queen Darjeeling, once a British colonial town, had been designed for a mere population of 10,000. But as per the 2001 census, the Darjeeling urban agglomeration with an area of 12.77 per square km has a population of 1,09,163. The municipal area only has a population of 1,07,530. The town has an additional average diurnal floating population of 20,500 – 30,000, mainly consisting of the tourists. The population density of the municipal area is 10,173 per square km. The sex ratio is 1,017 females per 1,000 males, which is higher than the national average. The town houses approximately 31 per cent of its population in the slums and shanty buildings — a consequence of heavy immigration. The major religion is Hinduism, followed by Buddhism. Christians and Muslims form minorities. The population’s ethnic composition is closely linked with that of Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim and Bengal. The majority of the populace is of ethnic Nepali background, having migrated to Darjeeling in search of jobs during the British rule. Indigenous ethnic groups include the Lepchas, Bhutias, Sherpas, Rais, Yamloos, Damais, Kamais, Newars and Limbus. Other communities that inhabit Darjeeling include the Bengalis, Marwaris, Anglo-Indians, Chinese, Biharis and Tibetans. The most commonly spoken language is Nepali (Gorkhali). However, Hindi, Bengali and English are also spoken.
Darjeeling has seen significant growth in its population during the last century, especially since the 1970s. Annual growth rates reached as high as 45 per cent in the 1990s, far above the national, state, and district averages. The subsequent population growth has created extensive infrastructural and environmental problems. The region is relatively new in geological terms and unstable in nature, suffering from a host of environmental problems. Environmental degradation, including denudation of the surrounding hills has adversely affected Darjeeling’s appeal as a tourist destination
With this background, the two most significant contributors to Darjeeling’s economy are tourism and the tea industry. Darjeeling tea is regarded as the best of the black teas and is widely popular, especially in Britain and the countries making up the former British empire. The tea industry has faced competition in recent years from tea produced in other parts of India as well as other countries like Nepal. Widespread concerns about labour disputes, worker lay-offs and closing of estates have affected investment and production. Several tea estates are being run on a workers’ cooperative model, while others are being planned for conversion into tourist resorts.
The district’s forests and other natural wealth have been adversely affected by an ever-growing population. The years since independence have seen substantial advances in the area’s education, communication and agriculture – the latter including the production of diverse cash crops like potato, cardamom, ginger, and oranges. Farming on terraced slopes is a major source of livelihood for the rural populace around the town and it supplies the town with fruits and vegetables.
Summer and spring seasons are most popular with tourists, keeping many of Darjeeling’s residents employed, directly and indirectly, with many residents owning and working in hotels and restaurants. Many people earn a living working for tourism companies and as guides. Darjeeling is now one of the popular filming destination for Bollywood and Bengali cinema. Small contributions to the economy come from the sale of traditional arts and crafts of Sikkim and Tibet.
This is all, with enough thorn helmets on its head. It is difficult to say what economic plan does the GJM have in mind for the proposed Gorkhaland because they are yet to submit any document on its sustainability.
The questions, however, would take a separate turn if the whole of north Bengal joins the movement and poses a greater threat to the east and north-east region of the country. (Merinews)

Communism - a utopian dream( From Ashutosh Space)

2008-06-29T12:36:00.001+05:30

Ashutosh's Space

Left in India is very powerful for the time being but Leftism at the international map is a marginal force . I still remember my one of the professors, who was a commited Marxist and doyen of Marxist theories , said from a public platform just after the disintegration of USSR , that it is no longer fashionable to call oneself a Marxist . Another professor who happened to be Dalit ,in one of his most frustrating moments, admitted he wasted his life chasing an utopian dream in the shadow of Marxism.
Both these gentlemen were still convinced that Marxism as a philosophical argument was a very effective tool for social change but its practitioners have been responsible for its demise. They were honest people and commanded enormous respect from their students and pear group and were willing to internally introspect practical dimension of Marxism . They were intellectually restless to understand what went wrong with Left ideology .
But unlike these professors, the problem with the mainstream Indian Left is that though they are honest and committed bunch of politicians but are unwilling to look inward , to find out what is wrong with Marxism in theory and in practice.
That is the fundamental reason for their unambiguious approach towards Nuclear deal, the consequent of which might result in instability at the centre and lead to early elections . For me this is very surprising as the Indian Left were the only communists apart from Chairman Mao who realised the ground realities and accordingly experimented with Marxism .
Mao knew that communism in its classical form will not gel into agrarian Chinese society . Hence he redefined Marxism which would be in sync with local needs and practiced in a way which suits Chinese needs . After Mao when his successors realised that even Mao's dictum is no longer valid they did not even hesitate to flirt with market forces in the Communist garb . No body can be more candid than Deng Xio Pheng who openly used to say that it does not matter if cat is black or white as long as it catches mice . It was due to this pragmatic approach to Marxism that China suddenly took a dramatic turn and moved on to a capitalist path thereby becoming future super power without destroying their old power structure .
Indian communists were also very pragmatic . They had no problem in becoming part of a feudal society with ultra modern state structure . Despite being ideologically convinced that Indian state is semi-capitalist in nature, democracy a facade they joined mainstream politics , did not go underground to launch a movement to overthrow anti-working-class-state- apparatus as Marxists did in Nepal . I am not talking about the fringe players like Naxals or Maoists who call CPM and others as Sarkari Marxists . In fact they were so successful in their approach that in 1957 they created a history when they formed the first democratically elected communist government in Kerala. And E M S Namboodaripad became their first leader to become Chief Minister . It's a different thing that in the implementation of their government policies at the state level they became so radical that central government dismissed their government .
Despite being dismissed they did not waver from their path , they did not leave mainstream politics , they continued taking part in democratic set up , remained a powerful block , kept occupying opposition space , contested elections , and as they got opportunity formed communist governments in West Bengal , Kerala and Tripura . And gradually they become so glued to the system that CPM even accepted having functional relationship with ultra conservative forces like Jansangh in mid seventies and with BJP in late 80s .
But as success has a self destructive logic . CPM in its pursuit to power lost its revolutionary fervor and became a conservative force which did not try to redefine its ideology with a pragmatic approach to Indian society and accordingly did not re-strategise its vision and policies . It got trapped in it own Jurassic park . So when BJP discovered aggressive Hinduism and backward leaders radicalised caste politics, CPM did not have an answer to it rather they continued indulging in rhetorics . They were not even willing to understand that caste is a reality in Indian society . They were still caught in the class web . For them Ayodhya movement was only a by product of nationalism and an urban phenomena . They failed to understand that Ram Mandir movement could also be a search for a militant identity for a section of Hindus.
When congress got disillusioned with its brand of socialism and drifted towards market economy, CPM could not give a convincing alternate ideological response.
They only had words which lost its meaning with the death of communism . When momentous changes were taking place old Comminists guards, who had their grounding in freedom struggle , were at the helms of affairs while the next level of leadership was trained in JNU where only two class existed - an English speaking upper class and language speaking lower class. No caste , no community , no religion and even no nationalism only internationalism .
This was the JNU in 70s when Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri were doing political internship . Yechuri was so away from reality or was so naive that when pro democarcy students were massacred in 1989 at Tianmen square , Yachuri had the guts and courage to lie to the students of JNU in Pereyar Hostel mess that 'NOT A DROP OF BLOOD WAS SHED AT TIANANMEN SQUAR '. But after coming back from Rumania he reported to party politburo that every thing is hunky dory in Rumania. And he realised in a weeks time that PEOPLE of Rumania had revolted against then communist ruler Chausesku who was shot dead .
Now when all three new militant reflexes of Indian society i.e assertive-caste-identities, aggressive-hinduism and liberal - market-forces-creating-ultra-confident-class are consolidating their political grounds Prakash Karat is still speaking a language which is alien to them and so in direct disconnect with these aspiring sentiments.
I don't buy this argument that Karat is opposing nuke deal because he has been told to do so by China .
His problem is that at the ideological level he is convinced by old Marxistdogma that it's a trap laid by Imperialist America to colonise strategic Indian interest and at the political front he believes that Muslims will not vote for CPM if it is seen favouring nuke deal meaning perceived anti-Muslim America. This dual logic has two inherent contradictions . One , America is no longer the same Capitalist nation and world is no longer captive to communism vs capitalism logical divide . At the normative level communism can no longer boast of the final victory for the struggling working class which was the single most inspirational motivating factor in their fight against oppressive capitalism . Communist models all over the world have proved to be equally repressive and anti -freedom to common man . And at the empirical level world has seen disappearance of communist states one after another without any resistance in late 80s and early 90s .
Iraq war has made America realise that powerful economy and military might can not win a war . In modern times, defined by interdependent-global-economy and inter-linked-virtual-web-world, winning of minds are more important than winning a strategic battle . America first time in history is defensive and vulnerable as it has lost the moral battle after the attack on Iraq . Emergence of economically and startegically growing China and slowing down of American economy has created more cracks in its armour .
Two, Indian Muslim is now a changed lot . Al-Qaeda style of terrorism has made them a suspect globally and Modi brand of Hinduism has forced them to strategise their political understanding . They have realised that minoritism and secularism is no guarantee for their physical security . So there is no point in living dangerously . It is more important to have a strategic alliance under the gab of silence and surrender with pro-Hindu forces with the intention to extract better benefits for their physical needs and their families .
Unless Prakash Karat realises these new trends, sheds his old mind set, tries to rediscover new ideological moorings he will remain prisoner of the past and keep the country hostage to his whims thereby confining CPM as a party of only three states . I am sure Karat will not like to lament like my professors that they wasted their lives chasing an utopian dream in the age of virtual world.
Posted by Ashutosh

30 Minutes: Darjeeling demands Gorkhaland | Gen X leaders

2008-06-29T12:33:00.000+05:30

Sougata Mukhopadhyay / CNN-IBN
CNN-IBN takes you inside Darjeeling, a region, which many now believe should be called Gorkhaland. The Gorkhaland demand is one that not only includes Darjeeling, but also Siliguri, Terai and Dooars in its domain - places that the Gorkha leaders believe they are in striking distance of.
Siliguri (Darjeeling): Drills are carried out on the outskirts of Darjeeling town to recruit the youth in the hills of Bengal for the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP).
This group is meant to act as an independent force for the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)
GJM is the organisation that has renewed the demand for the separate state of Gorkhaland after two decades. Under the garb of a social service group it's, for all practical purposes, a cadre force to run a parallel civic and law and order administration in the hills of Darjeeling.
Recruiter Gorkhaland Personnel, K Tshering Bhutia says, "We are going to teach the youth about the IPC, CrPC, Indian Police Act. Also motivating them is very important. We shall have to tell them that you will have to further our aims and objectives and realise our dream, our only dream that is Gorkhaland."
And there is dearth of excitement amongst the GLP aspirants. Most want to achieve and believe they can achieve Gorkhaland and post that, they want to get into social work.
Raising an autonomous police force for the hills, which could duplicate as the people's army when required, is a clear indication that the GJM already has one foot firmly grounded on statehood.
To achieve Gorkhaland is over a century old aspiration of the multi-ethnic Gorkhas of Darjeeling hills. However, it gathered momentum in the mid-80s when Subhas Ghising-led Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) ensued a violent struggle, which killed over 1,200 people. Ghising settled for an autonomous hill council but failed to address the identity crisis of the Gorkhas. Scholars trace root of the crisis to a certain mindset.
Former Teacher Loreto College Darjeeling, Amar Rai says, "Why do people still call us foreigners? Just because we have a state near Nepal and they associate us Indian Nepalese with Nepal? I think there lies the problem of identity and that is why this demand for a separate state has become strong."
In the recent past, the Gorkha demand has resorted to violence, which has spread in the adjacent plains of Siliguri and the hills have witnessed phases of indefinite bandh. GJM leaders like Amar Lama - who is a Central Committee member - justify the Gorkha ethnicity.
"In Darjeeling, Gorkha is not a race. It's a way of life. Here Gorkhas include even the Bengali. Everybody speaks Nepali language. So language is our common thread," says Lama.
That's the long-term goal which the new generation rebel Gorkhas are hell bent on achieving in the days to come.
But who are these new generation leaders who have fired the imagination of the hill people two decades after Ghising's so-called surrender before the Centre and the Bengal government? Here is a look into their background.

Demand for Gorkhaland: The new generation leadership

2008-06-29T12:30:00.002+05:30

Sougata Mukhopadhyay / CNN-IBN
The leadership of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is repackaging a demand that many believe is as old as the hills - that of achieving Gorkhaland. But who are these new generation leaders who have fired the imagination of the hill people two decades after Ghising's so-called surrender before the Centre and the Bengal government? Here is a look into their background.
Amar Lama says, "This is not a fight to divide Bengal. We are fighting for our existence, for our identity. This is right to self-determination."
An accused in an assassination attempt on Subhash Ghising - in Saath Gumti, Siliguri, February 2001 - Amar Lama spent 15 months in jail. Today, a key man for the GJM, he calls himself just a soldier in the cause for Gorkhaland. Like the other leaders, he believes in a peaceful second coming of Gorkhaland along a Gandhian route.
The GJM office today preaches Gandhigiri, but many of those office-bearers inside were once an integral part of the first and violent Gorkhaland movement.
The President of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Bimal Gurung, was once Subhash Ghising's right-hand man, striking terror in the hills in the '80s, heading the Gorkha Volunteers Council, armed militia of the GNLF.
Son of a tea plantation worker, Gurung has come a long way from driving tourists around Darjeeling. His drift away from Ghising started in the mid-90s as the popularity of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council began to fade under charges of corruption and failure to generate employment in the region.
He did all he could to upstage Subhash Ghising, even campaigning for Indian Idol contestant and local boy, Prashant Tamang. The formal breakaway came with the formation of the GJM in 2007.
Gurung says, "Our students were beaten up. People looking like Gorkhas are being beaten up. But have we even slapped anyone?"
Amar Lama adds, "No violence from out side, no violence from our side."
This restraint seems to be the USP of GJM's demand for a separate state. Under constant media glare, these leaders, calling bandhs at their own will, bringing Darjeeling to a screeching halt, all for Gorkhaland, seem to project a new face of "Janmukti".
GJM is clear that the people of the hills have been left waiting for a long time by the state, the Center and the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. And they are out to redraw the map.
GJM General Secretary, Roshan Giri says, "When the hill council was formed, Siliguri, Terai and Dooars were left out of what was historically our land."
What's more, not a single voice today speaks against the GJM.
A journalist, Neeraj Lama says, "People in the hills stay together. Dissidence is not encouraged. What I have seen is that there is a tendency amongst people to make heroes here."

Is Gorkhaland An Unjust Demand?

2008-06-29T12:26:00.000+05:30

By Dhruba H. Adhikary (Gorkhapatra)
Absolutely not. Indians of Nepali ethnicity deserve what they have been demanding since 1980s : Gorkhaland within the Indian union. All they are saying is that Darjeeling and adjoining areas be made a state so that Nepali-speakers could establish their identity on cultural and linguistic lines. Bimal Gurung and his colleagues in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) have made it abundantly clear that theirs is not a secessionist movement of any kind. The political leadership as well as the bureaucracy in New Delhi need to understand the aspirations and concomitant pledge expressed through the GJM leadership. The Indian authorities can take timely measures so that the ongoing campaign does not assume additional, if not ugly, dimensions. It does not need elaboration, for example, that by being insensitive to a genuine claim New Delhi runs the risk of alienating the Gorkhas who are a crucial component of the India’s armed forces. Gorkhas, after all, are Gorkhas, and it does not make any difference, in a given situation like the present one, whether they live in the hills of Nepal or in areas across the Mechi river.
Inexplicable
New Delhi and Calcutta have remained indifferent to the voice of Gorkhas for far too long. Lack of enthusiasm in Calcutta initially looked understandable because fulfillment of Gorkhali demand would directly result in the reduction of the size of the state of West Bengal. But, the stony silence New Delhi chose to maintain on this issue remained unfathomable. As is obvious, a call for a general strike in the Darjeeling hills does not affect only the population of that area; it also disrupts the traffic on the highway linking Sikkim which borders Tibet. Security implications are there for everyone to see. Should effects on security aspect be pronounced after a prolonged spell of inaction, Calcutta would eventually be forced to take its share of the blame for making India insecure. The leftist leadership in West Bengal, therefore, has a choice to offer a timely help to the Gorkhas for a state of their own in territories currently dubbed as north Bengal or maintain a negative stand now and pay a heavy price afterwards. What Pranab Mukherjee, India’s External Affairs Minister, said in Calcutta on June 14 is reflective of the negative attitude on the Gorkhas. By assigning external affairs minister to say "no" to the Gorkhaland demand, the Indian leadership tried to show that the demand is prompted by foreign powers. This is bound make the Gorkhas angrier. If it was a separatist movement right from the start, as it is being projected now from Calcutta and New Delhi, where was the need for the Indian leadership to recognize Subhas Ghising and then grant a hill council status to the area under his leadership—in 1988 ? India’s omnipresent intelligence agencies must have collected necessary information on the movement.
Controversial
After all, there is nothing new or unusual in the demand for a separate statehood. Such demands have been successfully made elsewhere in India, and have been favorably responded to in a number of cases. The states of Uttarkhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were created out of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar respectively. These newest states came into being when New Delhi had a BJP-led coalition government. Then there is an ongoing issue of Telangana in Andhra Pradesh. Do the Gorkhas have to wait until a new government is installed at the centre? It appears that the existing dispensation is determined to continue to deprive the Gorkhas of their distinct identity, on one pretext or the other. The Manmohan Singh government’s controversial attempt to turn Darjeeling into a tribal area has already been fiercely resisted by the Gorkhas. As Bimal Gurung has argued, the centre’s plan to put the area under Sixth Schedule of the Indian constitution would divide Nepalis along tribal and ethnic lines ; hence, unacceptable to the people living in three subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong and surrounding areas.
Obligation
Should Nepal turn a blind eye to these developments in its eastern neighborhood ? Of course, not. While the demand/dispute is in the land that ceased to be Nepali territory since the Sugauli treaty of 1816, the social and cultural affinity that Nepalis enjoy with the Nepali-speaking inhabitants there cannot be overlooked. Nepalis in Nepal have to express their solidarity for the just struggle their brothers and sisters across the border have been carrying out for years. Even official Nepal must not keep quiet on the Gorkhaland issue. As is known to us all, it has been offering shelter to one hundred thousand Nepali-speaking Bhutanese who entered Nepal as refugees since 1990. Earlier, Nepal was compelled to accept several thousand Nepali-speakers evicted from Assam and Meghalaya. Nepalis in the Gorkhaland are not seeking assistance of this kind. All they are looking for is Nepal’s whole-hearted support for the cause they are fighting for.
" As Nepali-speaking community we are expecting a great deal of help," said Bimal Gurung in an interview published in Nayaa Patrikaa on June 26. He has expressed hope that Nepal’s new government, to be headed by Prachanda, would pay attention to the subject which happens to have their origins in some of the old bilateral treaties.
Anyhow, Nepal simply cannot afford to sit back and be a silent spectator when the issue at hand may affect the life of some 15 million Gorkhalis living in India.

Delhi team fishes for sympathisers-Morcha keeps eye on developments at the Centre, hunts for statehood allies

2008-06-27T08:56:00.001+05:30

Darjeeling, June 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s delegation in Delhi is trying to find sympathisers for the Gorkhaland demand with an eye on the possibility of a change of power at the Centre.
Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri, who had been heading the four-member delegation, said: “We met (BJP chief) Rajnath Singh, yesterday and (Opposition leader) L.K. Advani the day before. The leaders are sympathetic to our demand and have asked us to go back to them with relevant documents justifying our demands. The outcome has been positive.”
Giri had to return to Darjeeling today for personal reasons, but the three other members of the delegation — Pradeep Pradhan, Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Phubi Rai — are expected to stay on for a couple of more days to try and meet a few other politicians. “The delegation will definitely try and meet (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhi in the coming days,” said Giri.
Sources maintain that the Morcha is aware of the fact that the UPA and the Left Front are unlikely to support the statehood demand, especially at a time when the nuclear imbroglio is yet to subside. The hill party is keenly following the developments in Delhi and is pinning its hopes on an early parliamentary election, the sources said.
“This government is surviving because of the Left support and our demands will definitely be met with hostility (by the government). However, the silver lining is the fact that the Centre is not averse to calling a tripartite meeting as of now,” said a Morcha leader.
There is a strong feeling among the Morcha leaders that the party would be on an advantage if it aligns with the BJP rather then the Congress. “The important leaders of the Congress are against division of Bengal. This cannot be said of the BJP, who are in favour of smaller states,” said another Morcha leader. He referred to the three new states — Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand — that were created during BJP rule at the Centre.
If the Morcha aligns with the BJP, it will be a break from the past as the hills have traditionally voted for the Congress. The Subash Ghisingh-led GNLF had even helped the CPM win the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat twice in the nineties by staying away from the parliamentary elections.(The Telegraph)

Workers’ unrest to hit hills

2008-06-27T08:54:00.002+05:30

Darjeeling, June 26: The 8,000 ad-hoc workers of the DGHC will start a fast-unto-death in town from Saturday to demand immediate regularisation of their jobs.
Permanent government employees in the hills, on the other hand, will go on a mass casual leave tomorrow.
“We have heard that the government is mulling a move to shift government offices from Darjeeling to Siliguri and have decided to go on mass casual leave tomorrow as a mark of protest,” said B.P. Chhetri, vice-president of the Hill Employees’ Association.
The decision, which has been taken together with the Hill Employees Workers Trade Union, will disrupt all offices in Darjeeling.
The ad-hoc workers’ demand is a long-standing one and they have been on a relay hunger strike since June 7.
“Our relay hunger strike in front of the Lal Kothi (the administrative headquarters of the DGHC) will end tomorrow. We will hold a massive rally in town after that and from Saturday we will start the fast-unto-death,” said Machendra Subba, the president of the Janmukti Astai Karmachari Sangatan — an affiliate of the Morcha.
A seven-member team will sit for the indefinite hunger strike, said Subba.
The 8,000 workers are currently employed on six-month contracts and although DGHC officials had earlier promised that they would be regularised, there is still no word from the Bengal government.
The term of the current six-month contracts will end soon. Sources said the regularisation process would take at least a month to be completed, largely because the council is overstaffed.
The DGHC officials had also said that before the regularisation process begins, the workers would be given new contracts that will not be time-bound. Although no official could be contacted, sources said the council had forwarded the new terms to the state government on June 20.
“If we get to hear something positive from the state government by tomorrow evening, we will call off the fast-unto-death. It all depends on the state government’s response now,” said Subba.
The contract workers get paid between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,500 a month. Sources maintain that the state government has agreed in principle to do away with the six-month contract system and increase the salaries of these workers until the regularisation process is completed.
A final word from the state government is expected to come after the Morcha delegation meets chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Calcutta tomorrow. (The Telegraph)

Teachers ask, kids volunteer for fast

2008-06-27T08:52:00.000+05:30

Darjeeling, June 26: Seven Class IX boys started a relay hunger strike here today and hundreds of schoolchildren brought out rallies across the Darjeeling hills even as the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha tried to justify the role of students in the movement for a separate state.
All seven are from Municipal Boys’ High School and will be on fast till 11am tomorrow when the next batch takes over. They reiterated what the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has been harping for some time.
“If we get Gorkhaland, our future will be better. The situation in Bengal is hopeless,” said 16-year-old Laxman Prasad in front of the district magistrate’s office where the fast is going on.
The protesters, all within the 16-19 age group, considered themselves “lucky” for having been selected for the agitation.
“Our teachers asked us who all wanted to take part in the hunger strike. Quite a lot of us volunteered. We were selected for the first batch and another group from our school has been chosen for another day. I am lucky to have got a chance to fast for Gorkhaland,” said Prasad.
Students from different schools will take turns in groups of seven to participate in the relay hunger strike in Darjeeling till July 5 as announced by Bimal Gurung, the president of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Simultaneous fasts will also be held in Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik.
The students claimed that they had the support of their parents. “My mother who depends on my father’s pension supported my decision. I am part of the hunger strike because this is a question of my identity too,” said 16-year-old Prasit Rai, who comes from Badamtang tea garden, 15km from Darjeeling town.
The Vidyarthi Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, justified the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s decision to involve the students in the hunger strike. “The Gorkhaland we are talking about is for these children. They must be aware of the demand. Fruits given on a platter does not have much charm. All agitation, including the country’s freedom movement, has seen active involvement of students,” said Keshav Raj Pokhrel, secretary of the Vidyarthi Morcha.
Pokhrel also cited the example of the All Jharkhand Students’ Union in creating Jharkhand.(The Telegraph)

Safety first (Editorial on Gorkhaland Issue)

2008-06-27T08:47:00.001+05:30

Mr Subhas Ghisingh was no angel. Apart from promoting corruption and maladministration, he kept the pot boiling by raising irrelevant and untenable issues dug out from obscure crevices of history, perhaps with a view to hogging the limelight and creating problems for the state and the Centre. Eventually, being frustrated in their attempt to regain influence through subversion and subterfuges in the hills, the Marxists started courting Mr Ghisingh. But the honeymoon was destined to be a bitter one.For quite some time, the state government has been saying that as a final solution to the Darjeeling problem the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) will be elevated to the status of an autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. However, neither the state government nor the Gorkha National Liberation Front chief has cared to share with the people exactly how they will do this without amending the Constitution on at least two counts. First, amendment is necessary for application of the Sixth Schedule outside the North-east, and second, since the Sixth Schedule can be applied only in a tribal area, an amendment is necessary for its application in a non-tribal area like Darjeeling.However the CPI-M and Mr Ghisingh jointly found a solution to the second problem. The size of Darjeeling’s tribal population should be so increased that the region may be marked as a tribal region. For this purpose, the more numerous Tamang and Limbu communities among the Nepalis of Darjeeling should be marked as Scheduled Tribes (STs), ignoring norms laid down for determining Scheduled Tribe status. Mr Ghisingh being a Tamang, has overnight become member of an ST.This, in fact, was a fraud perpetrated on the Constitution since they conspiratorially decided to change the anthropological character of a region for political expediency. The CPI-M, as a partner of the UPA government, inveigled the weak-kneed Centre not only to agree to this manipulation but also to accept the recommendation of the state government and issue a formal notification giving these two communities ST status. This will facilitate the declaration of Darjeeling as a tribal region, dispensing with the need for a second amendment to the Constitution.But unfortunately the calculations went awry. When this change became public, the hill communities were angry and Mr Ghisingh started losing his social status and popularity as a leader in the hills. The Sixth Schedule status was no coveted thing with the people as it meant a demotion down the social ladder. Mr Ghisingh and state government leaders while calculating political gains could not gauge the social reaction to such fraudulent conversion and were swept off their feet by the tornado of protest. The hills are on fire once again.The upsurge is now spearheaded by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, a hastily organised outfit led by Mr Bimal Gurung, a long-time Ghisingh loyalist and a former muscleman of the Gorkha Volunteer Cell. During 1987-88, he was pitted against the most terrible muscleman of the CPI-M in the hills and proved his mettle to his boss, Mr Ghisingh. After the DGHC came to power in the hills, Mr Gurung spent a short stint in prison and came out only to ask for a seat in the council. Mr Ghisingh did not oblige him. Some years later when Mr Rudra Pradhan, a council member was murdered, Mr Gurung wanted to contest the seat, but this time too he was denied.He contested as an Independent candidate and won.Mr Gurung shot into prominence in 2007, mobilising support for Prashant Tamang in the ‘Indian Idol’ contest. Tamang won it, making Mr Gurung popular in the hills vis-à-vis Mr Ghisingh, who had been reluctant to canvass support for Mr Tamang. About this time, it came to be known that the Tamangs and Limbus had been recognised as STs. Mr Ghisingh’s popularity has nosedived since then.It will be naïve to think that Mr Gurung’s demand for Gorkhaland is merely a strident rejection of the proposed Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling because such a status is associated with a social stigma. It is also an expression of disapproval of the DGHC and the politics associated with it. The options available to the Indian state for containing the movement have, therefore, become limited. Mr Gurung’s perceived Gorkhaland state is coterminous with Mr Ghising’s Gorkhaland, a map of which was circulated at the peak of the movement. Mr Gurung took out a procession from Darjeeling to the border of Assam through the Dooars with a view to notionally establishing his claim to the territory, which he wants to incorporate in Gorkhaland. It is not known whether by design or due to indiscretion he wanted to garner support in areas where his hold is marginal by making it clear that those areas would be included in a possible Gorkhaland. Such moves are sure to create racial tension.When emotion and sentiment get the better of a people, it is futile to argue on the basis of the facts of history. As a matter of fact, history often is deliberately distorted to generate strong emotions. So it is of no consequence to say that the present Siliguri subdivision, described in 18th and 19th century history as “the territory between Mechi and Teesta rivers” and also as “terra incognita” was under “Sikkimpati Raja” and was never under Nepal and that the present Darjeeling and Kurseong sub-divisions were under the nominal control of Nepal for a short time between 1790 to 1814. Or to say that when Darjeeling was bought from “Sikkimpati Raja” by the British in 1835, there was hardly any Nepalese population in the hills. While the facts of history have little relevance in an emotive ethnic movement, the present ground reality should not be ignored in determining the ethnic character of a piece of territory, lest such indifference and ignorance lead to undesirable consequences.According to census figures, in the Dooars region, from Mal/Metelli to Kalchini/Kumargram, Gorkhas constitute on an average 25-28 per cent of the total population. In Siliguri subdivision, the percentage is much less. These facts of history can be ignored only at the cost of plunging the region into greater turmoil. But for the actors in this game these are perhaps not essential and compelling arguments for maintaining communal and racial harmony, which have been greatly strained as a result of the recent upsurge.More important, because the security of this thin piece of land is linked with the security of the nation as a whole, we perhaps cannot afford to further slacken the administrative hold on the region by fragmenting and splintering it and thereby making it vulnerable to frequent internal disorder and infiltration from unfriendly countries. All political settlements in this region have to take care of the interests of national security.

‘A Black Day’ for protestors

2008-06-27T08:46:00.001+05:30

Statesman News ServiceSILIGURI, June 26: Protesting against the proposed negotiation between the state government and the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha in Kolkata tomorrow, the Jana Chetana, an apolitical organisation known for its strident opposition to the Gorkhaland demand, announced its plans to observe tomorrow as ‘Black Flag Day.’ “We would oppose such talks until the crucial question of nationality of those spearheading the Gorkhaland agitation is resolved once and for all,” Mr Debaprasad Kar, the President of the outfit said. Meanwhile, Aamra Bangali, another radical organisation opposing the Gorkhaland demand, has urged the state government to form a Bengali Regiment in an obvious reaction to the recently formed Gorkhaland Personnel in the Hills. Casting aspersions on the continuing round of negotiations the state has been having with the GJMM leadership, the Jana Chetana president said, “It amounts to putting the cart before the horse. At the outset, a screening operation must begin in earnest to differentiate the genuine Indian Nepalis from the migrants from the neighbouring country. As for the demand for Gorkhaland only true Indian Nepalis can cry for it."Dwelling upon the Indo-Nepal treaty, 1950, Mr Kar said that the Nepali nationals, who had settled in India prior to the signing of the treaty, had been endowed with citizenship rights including political franchise. “But for those who migrated after the treaty was signed, they could participate in the process of economic and industrial development sans the political franchise as per the treaty,” Mr Kar said.“Now the crucial question is - are the GJMM leaders migrants or genuine citizens of the country? That has to be decided before any meaningful parley can take place over the outfit's territorial demand,” the Jana Chetana leader asserted.The Aamra Bangali on the other hand today revived the Bengal Regiment formation demand. Mr Sambhu Sutradhar, the organisation's Siliguri secretary said that the state government must seriously consider the demand. “Otherwise the organisation would go for an agitation keeping in view the interest of the Bengalis in this fluid situation,” the Aamra Bangali leader, said. He also demanded the transfer of all administrative offices in Darjeeling to Siliguri in view of the volatile political scenario in the Hills.

Hill people back 'non-violent' movement for Gorkhaland

2008-06-27T08:44:00.000+05:30

Darjeeling (PTI): The indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has hit the people of the Darjeeling hills hard, but they nonetheless swear by GJM chief Bimal Gurung, who has expressed willingness to achieve Gorkhaland following the path of Mahatma Gandhi.
Chandra Bahadur Rai, an octogenarian who lost his only son in the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) movement, said he could trust Bimal Gurung because "he has achieved two things - defused the 6th Schedule bomb and ousted Subhas Ghising."
"Only Gorkhaland remains to be achieved. But at the same time, we don't want anymore bloodshed. Gurung has adopted the path of non-violence which is why people support him.
"If Mahatma could achieve freedom for the country, why can't we get a separate state through a peaceful movement?," he asked.
Tendu Sherpa, who runs a business venture in Sikkim, said autonomy provided by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council could not achieve much.
"Darjeeling has more resources than Sikkim, but there is a world of difference in the standard of living. We have to attain Gorkhaland since the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council could not do much in past two decades," he said.
Traders like 25-year-old Anju Lama, who runs a LPG spare parts sales and service centre, are even ready to run into losses if it means greater good. "My elder brother was scarred for life after being hit by a stone thrown by a cadre during a GNF rally. We can suffer business loss but we don't want anymore violence," she said.
According to official sources, 266 persons, including 20 securitymen and 80 CPI(M) supporters were killed and 1,085 persons injured between August 1986 and July 1988 during the GNLF movement.
In comparison, during the seven months of the agitation by the GJM there has been no loss of life. (Hindu)

No separate state for Gorkhas: Buddha

2008-06-27T08:42:00.000+05:30

Kolkata: Though West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has said that there would be no precondition for talks with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, the state government, a day before a crucial meeting with the GJM, today ruled out discussion on its separate statehood demand.
"There will be no discussion with the Morcha on the statehood demand, but talks can be held on administrative re-arrangements and greater autonomy (for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council)," Chief Secretary A K Deb told newsmen.
The chief minister after an all-party meeting on June 17 had said, "In my (earlier) letter to the GJM for talks, we had not set any precondition. We still do not have any precondition." GJM President Bimal Gurung, when asked to react, told PTI from Darjjeeling that the party delegation in Kolkata would not seek a discussion on Gorkhaland, but stress on a tripartite meeting to resolve the Darjeeling issue.
"I have instructed the GJM delegation to stick to a one-point agenda to urge Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to take the initiative for tripartite talks," Gurung said.
"The GJM demand covering Darjeeling district and the contiguous area of Dooars would be taken up at the tripartite meeting," he said.
"We have only one aim, that is Gorkhaland. We are not interested in talks for more administrative powers for the hill council, or development of the hills," he said.
The GJM chief said the meeting with the chief minister was a 'courtesy call' and statehood talks could only take place in the Centre's presence.
The GJM delegation's talks in Delhi with Union Home minister Shivraj Patil had been 'positive', he said.
Asked if the indefinite bandh in the hills, which has been relaxed till July five, would be relaxed further, Gurung said "If there is positive indication then we will think over it." The indefinite bandh was called by GJM on June 16 but a 60-hour relaxation was given to the people from 6:00 pm of June 22, which was further extended till July 5.
Meanwhile, school students sat on relay hunger-strike in various parts of Darjeeling district to press for Gorkhaland.
Students from standard nine and above in batches of seven launched hunger-strikes from 10:00 am in front of the district magistrate's office in Darjeeling, before the sub-divisional officer's office at Kurseong, at Trikone in Kalimpong and in front of block development officer's office at Mirik, superintendent of police Rahul Srivastav said.
"We are keeping a watch over the situation and handling it carefully as it is an emotional issue," he said.
GJM press secretary Benoy Tamang told PTI that at least 20 batches of students were on hunger-strike at many places, including at Nepanea bustee in the plains area of Siliguri in the district. (sify)

WB Govt ready for more autonomy, GJM says no

2008-06-26T16:06:00.001+05:30

Kolkata, June 26: On the eve of the crucial meeting with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in Kolkata, the West Bengal government on Thursday ruled out any discussion with it on its separate statehood demand.
"There will be no discussion with the Morcha on the statehood demand, but talks can be held on administrative arrangements and greater autonomy (for Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council)," Chief Secretary A K Deb told reporters at Writers' Buildings.
Deb said in the absence of Morcha President Bimal Gurung, Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee would talk to any GJM representative.
The chief secretary said, "Stateheood demand cannot be accepted. Instead, we can discuss, if GJM wants, administrative rearrangements and even extending greater autonomy (to the DGHC). Everything depends on what they want."
The chief secretary's assertion of not accepting the demand for a separate Gorkhaland in the talks, is being construed as a pre-condition for talks with the GJM.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee a few days ago had said that the state government was ready for talks with the GJM without precondition.
GJM not interested in more autonomy
The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha on Thursday said it would not budge from its demand for Gorkhaland and would not accept accept the West Bengal government's offer of discussion on development and more autonomy for the Darjeeling hills.
"I have instructed the GJM delegation in Kolkata to stick to a one-point agenda to urge Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to take the initiative for tripartite talks," GJM President Bimal Gurung said from Darjeeling.
His comments came shortly after Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb said that that there would be no discussion with the GJM on its statehood demand and greater autonomy and administrative rearrangements for the Darjeeling hills could be discussed.
The GJM delegation, Gurung said, would only stress on a tripartite meeting and would not seek a discussion on Gorkhaland.
"The GJM demand covering Darjeeling district and the contiguous area of Dooars would be taken up at the tripartite meeting," he said.
"We have only one aim, that is Gorkhaland. We are not interested in talks for more administrative powers for the hill council, or development of the hills," he said.

WB govt rules out discussion on statehood demand with GJM

2008-06-26T16:04:00.001+05:30

Kolkata, Jun 26 (PTI) On the eve of the crucial meeting with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) here, the West Bengal government today ruled out any discussion with it on its separate statehood demand."There will be no discussion with the Morcha on the statehood demand, but talks can be held on administrative arrangements and greater autonomy (for Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council)," Chief Secretary A K Deb told reporters at Writers' Buildings.Deb said in the absence of Morcha President Bimal Gurung, Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee would talk to any GJM representative. PTI

School students on relay hunger strike

2008-06-26T16:02:00.000+05:30

Siliguri (PTI): The non-violence movement started by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) for a separate Gorkhaland got a boost on Thursday when school students started relay hunger strikes in various parts of Darjeeling district.
Students from Class IX and above launched relay hunger strikes in batches of seven from 10 am in front of the offices of district magistrate, sub-divisional officer's office at Kurseong and in front of the office of block development officer at Mirik, Superintendent of Police Rahul Srivastab said.
"We are keeping a watch over the situation and handling it carefully as it is an emotional issue," he said.
GJM press secretary Benoy Tamang told PTI that at least 20 batches of students were on hunger strike at many places, including at Nepanea bustee in the plains of Siliguri in the district.
On the GJM's decision to affix vehicle number plates with GJ prefix from July, Srivastab said the police had sent an exhaustive report on it to the authorities and was awaiting instructions. (The Hindu)

Gorkhaland:Hunger strike by High school children: Isn't it a violation of UN convention on child rights

2008-06-26T15:49:00.004+05:30

I was talking with a teacher friend of mine from Darjeeling to know about the declared hunger strike by students. He confirmed that children under the age of 18 yrs are also sitting in hunger strike. This strike is going on in all the major towns of darjeeling Hills at Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik.
This is a violation of UN convention on Child rights . The political leaders can in no form use the children to fulfill their aspirations. This is deliberate and intentional. I urge the United Nations and Government of India to interfere in this matter and stop Bimal Gurung and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in continuing this act.
Why civil society is silent in this matter? Why parents are mumb? Why women groups are encouraging this?

Why Gorkhaland? From Darjeeling Gupshup

2008-06-26T14:52:00.000+05:30

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Almost everyone from Darjeeling District and parts of Dooars Terai irrespective of their caste, race, and linguistic difference are demanding Gorkhaland because: Gorkhaland is our birth right, guaranteed by the Constitution of India. People from Darjeeling have always been a victim of social, political and economical experiences under various administrations levied upon them. People of Darjeeling feel that it’s the ripe time that the people of Darjeeling should be given the right of self determination under the Constitution of India. Majority of Indians does not recognize the people of Darjeeling as Indians just because the people of Darjeeling speak Nepali language. Historically Darjeeling belonged to Sikkim. Darjeeling was gifted to East India Company by Sikkim and then it’s Passover to the British Crown and the Indian Republic. The people of Darjeeling Hills and Dooars Terai have combined and fully assimilated into mainstream India, they feel the need to be recognized as India’s own. Gorkhalis feel that as a constituent fabric of the Indian Union like the Bengalese, Tamils, Punjabis, they can as Gorkhas from Gorkhaland serve Indian Union to their fullest capacity. Politically Darjeeling Hills and Dooars Terai is the epi-centre of Gorkhas. However, Gorkhas make up a sizeable population in Bhagsu, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and other parts of India. For Gorkhas, Darjeeling has always been a homeland of choice. Thus the formation of Gorkhaland would signify recognition and legitimacy and most importantly acceptance in India as a whole, no matter where they reside. Since Sikkim is a separate state for Sikkimese, the Gorkhas also want their own state Gorkhaland of their own as they feel overshadowed under in a state called West Bengal. The Gorkhas has different culture compared to the culture of West Bengal. Economically Darjeeling Hills and Dooars Terai has never received economic aid proportion to the resources, potential and revenue garnered or could be garnered in the region. West Bengal has never found itself interested in helping the Hills and Dooars Terai to rise up to its optimum potential. Darjeeling Hill with its abundant resources, including world favorite Darjeeling Tea and Tourism never got noticed by West Bengal Government and the Central Government. Gorkhalis have always been victim of identity crisis more so because of the existence of the Republic of Nepal with whom India shares a porous border. The lack of the need of visa while traveling through and fro the two nations have also lead to belief in most of the Indian circles that Nepalese wander in India freely and hence giving a second thought that Gorkhali people must be from Nepal. This leads to major complications for Nepali speaking people that are originally from India and not from Nepal. In fact, this vision has found root not just among commoners and the lays but also the highest of leaders in India. In the 1970s when the then Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai visited Darjeeling, he was submitted a petition by a delegation of the Bharatiya Nepali Bhasa Manyata Samiti (Indian Nepali Language Recognition Committee). The Prime Minister went through the petition and remarked rather care-freely, “I think you should be offering this petition to your King?” While the delegation lay dazed the Prime Minister further remarked, “Don’t you have a country of your own?” Yes, he was referring to Nepal and to His Late Majesty Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. And yes, there was and is a country called Nepal but surely, it never occurred to the Prime Minister that he was not talking to Nepalese Delegation from Nepal but to the Citizens of India. Identity is thus a very big issue! There have been news and various newspapers carried out numerous reports of Nepali speaking Indians being not given access to the most basic of amenities such as issue of ration cards, voters identity cards etc in the rest of the nation just because they were Nepali speaking Indians. Certainly, Gorkhaland would solve a lot of problems. (Darjeeling Forum)

IS GORKHALAND REALLY FEASIBLE: FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES

2008-06-26T14:36:00.002+05:30

The topic of Gorkhaland is at high. At the ground the women groups are busy from morning till evening shouting slogans for the Gorkhaland. The online sites are also updated every hour on the topic. here I have tried to capture some of the thoughts expressed in different online sites:
From Orkut (http://www.orkut.co.in/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=666287&tid=5213902362513634499&na=1&nst=1)
Is Gorkhaland practically feasible?
I am a Bengali. Although I am not against the idea of Gorkhaland I still have some doubts. If you take the Darjeeling district as a sperate state then it will be the smallest state in India in terms of population:-I give below the statistics of some of the small states in India in terms of population :-Goa 1,400,000Nagaland 1,988,636Manipur 2,388,634Mizaoram 888,573Tripura 3,191,168Sikkim 540,493Pondicherry 9,73,829What is the population of darjeeling District in terms of population ?107,530 (according to 2001 census). Out of which at least 30% is Non-Nepalese...Do you really think it is feasible?

Goa 1,400,000Nagaland 1,988,636Manipur 2,388,634Mizaoram 888,573Tripura 3,191,168Sikkim 540,493Pondicherry 9,73,829These are small but economically better performing states in India, as compared to, say, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orisa or even Haryana in some aspects. So the size does have its arguments in favour of Gorkhaland, which will eventually comprise of not just darjeeling, but also its adjoining areas of Siliguri and Dooars.Europe is another example where small states have faired better on socio-economic parameters.

Ok.. Starting with population... the figure you have quoted here 1, 07, 191 (census 2001) is only for the Darjeeling Municipality area which covers 10.70 Sq. Kms in and around Darjeeling town and not for the Proposed Gorkhaland state.... This population is 100% Gorkhali as we do not discriminate between different communities... everyone in Gorkhaland will be a Gorkhali with no discrimination what so ever.... Don't take my word for it you can ask any of the non-Gorkhalis in Darjeeling and Kurseong and Kalimpong and see what they feel... The expected population of the proposed area is going to be around 8, 50,000, which will have an even distribution of 30% Bengali's, 35% Gorkhalis, 30% Rajbanshis and other ethnic tribes and 5% rest... This will allow for every one to live harmoniously and equally without any group dominating the other.Next comes the real issue of economic sustenance... please rest assured that we will be a revenue surplus state... just a few quick considerations....All the hydro-electric generation units in North-Bengal are in the proposed Gorkhaland area.. which will make us a power surplus state and we will generate revenues by selling this power to states like WB, Bihar and Orissa....The tea industry which contributes half of WB revenue currently will belong to the proposed Gorkhaland state, which will be used to revitalize the currently dis-functional gardens, thus ensuring more employment and earnings. Darjeeling tea has been accorded Geographical Indicator (GI) status at par with Champagne and Cognac by the WTO, as a result of which the price for Darjeeling Tea has climbed geometrically, however, the benefits are yet to reach the masses, which will be the priority for the Government of Gorkhaland. The proposed state of Gorkhaland is the richest source of natural resources, which includes both in situ and ex situ uses. You must be aware that the Eastern Himalayan region falls under IUCN bio-diversity hot spot, thus making it the most attractive for tourists and conservationists world over.... Th Government of Gorkhaland will invest heavily on developing sustainable tourism facilities, the focus will be on Eco-tourism and Nature based tourism.Herb and horticultures will be promoted extensively and the Government of Gorkhaland will make certain selected areas in Chalsa, Damdim, Dalshingpara, Mangpoo, Kalimpong, Nagarkatta etc the herbal and horticultural capital of India (and over the years South-Asia).The main focus of the Government of Gorkhaland will be to develop human resources in such a way that the state does not has to rely on outsiders for running the economy. The state of Gorkhaland will be equal employer and will provide Universal Health care and education free of cost for the state citizens.Educational institutes will be funded and encouraged to attract students from all over India and the world. So that the glory of Darjeeling as the Oxford of The East is established. Every state citizen will be taught in English, Bengali, Nepali, Kamptapuri (which will be recognized as one of the state languages and reccommended to be included as a national language) and other languages, which the student will be free to choose from.All the cultures, heritage and traditions will be protected and preserved, under the Ministry for Culture and Languages, Government of Gorkhaland. Special funds will be allocated to preserve tribes like Lepchas and Totos.
The Government of Gorkhaland will set up advance learning centers and scholarships so that our students will be able to access the best education world over. If required special reservations for Totos and Lepchas (and any other such tribes) will be put in place.The government of Gorkhaland will develop sustainably without harming the environment, every care will be taken to protect the environment and the livelihood of the people.The government of Gorkhaland will not allow MNCs to develop any project or plan without agreeing to employ 80% state citizen, this will be done to protect the economic well being of the state citizens.The government of Gorkhaland will develop and maintain medicinal plants facilities, the government will further support any individual, firm or organization to undertake medicinal plant related operation. Which will then be exported to firms in and outside India.The Government of Gorkhaland will set up cold storage across the state to promote proper stocking of food products, food processing plants will be set up and the policy of free and fair trade will be employed to compensate the people involved.Local handicrafts and hand loom products will me marketed internationally, every individual thus employed will be paid a FAIR PRICE for their effortsIn Gorkhaland no discrimination will be entertained what so ever and violators will be severely punished. Outsiders will be welcome to lend a hand in the development process, however, they will not be given residential status unless the Government of India does so after due processing (the terms for which will be laid out in the State Act). This will be done to ensure the protection of local residents and to check illegal immigration (from other states and other south-Asian countries)
This is just a basic idea for our economic sustainability, if you need more details please feel free to contact, shortly an economic model for the state of Gorkhaland will be prepared for which contributions from all quarters of India will be sough, if you have any comments or criticisms you will be welcome to do so.
$@nde&h r@i
well evry1 seems to hav different view.......bt wat i do feel is dat statehood is d only means to show our existence in India......even today people do ask whre u frm?? if we say we r frm West Bengal, they consider us as bengali.....nw please dnt get me wrng out here....m not against bengali coz i do hav bengali frens n m much closer to them......India is a Democratic country n is made up of different cultures but thre lies 1 fact dat evrythng happens on community basis.......I hav stayed in a hostel whre u can find people frm different states n even out thre, groupism can b seen.......its d mindset of d people n it has to b changed first......if dis happens i dnt think so thre ll b any need to hav a new state.......i guess in future thre should b only 1 community called Indian community......
Major
Dear Saugata and Sanjay... Thanks for input and your concern.... Saugata.... so you think it's only the Gorkhalis?? Do you know that Kamptapur Peoples Party (KPP) is supporting and actively taking part in the Gorkhaland movement??? Do you know that it's not only the Gorkhalis but also Bengalis.. Muslims.. Marwaris who are demanding Gorkhaland??? probably not.. because the media in North-Bengal is absolutely controlled by CPI(M) and whenever there was an attack on GJM supporters which did include Bengalis... Kamptapuris... Muslims... the press always called it a clash between GJM and locals.... instead of saying a clash between GJM and CPI(M).... Even though this movement is very open and inclusive.. the CPI(M) and it's frontal organizations like Amra Bangali, BBBBC etc have been trying to paint it with ethnic color... However, more and more people are supporting the movement... I agree we need to work more towards generating support from other communities as well... and I am sure people like YOU and SANJAY can be of big help.Sanjay... see the points that you have made are very valid and that's the reason why we are demanding Gorkhaland... nothing is allowed to flourish in WB and we will never be able to develop Darjeeling, Terai and Duars unless we are free from WB and CPI(M) hegemony.... Don't worry about the money, as I said before we have more than enough resources to sustain and make our's a revenue surplus state withing 3-5 years.... and guess what Siliguri being the trade hub will be benefiting the most...Support Gorkhaland for a Better Future

༒Azad (गुर्खा)༒
Creation of new states, earlier along ethnic and linguistic lines and later along economic and political lines in india is fairly a recent phenomenon, more so after independence. Prior to independence british had divided india into major blocks/provinces and princely states for administrative purposes.Several new states and union territories have been created out of existing states since 1956.Bombay State was split into the linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. The Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 divided the Punjab along linguistic and religious lines, creating a new Hindu and Hindi-speaking state of Haryana, transferring the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh, and designating Chandigarh, the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana, a union territory. Nagaland was made a state in 1962, Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh in 1971, Tripura and Manipur in 1972. Arunachal Pradesh was made a union territory in 1972. The Kingdom of Sikkim joined the Indian Union as a state in 1975. Mizoram was made a state in 1986, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh in 1987,while Goa's northern exclaves of Daman and Diu became a separate union territory. In 2000 three new states were created; Jharkhand was created out of the southern districts of Bihar, Chhattisgarh was created out of eastern Madhya Pradesh, and Uttaranchal, since renamed Uttarakhand, was created out of the Hilly regions of northwest Uttar Pradesh. The Union Territories of Delhi and Pondicherry ( remamed to Puducherry )have since been given the right to elect their own legislatures, and have acquired full statehood.

DEVIL getting
im absoutly...agree with angzee....im from delhi....too...and i support gorkhaland with all my heart and want this dream to come true...even though im a resident of delhi...but my hometown is darjeeling......im not much into all that satctic things....but i know one thing....argueing wat will happen if we get or not....or wat will be the economical status...of drajeeling after being gorkhaland.......thats not the queation right now...cos the main agenda is we want gorkhaland cos we want a better life so that oue brother ans sisters don't have to go...far away from...thr hometown...and get exploited in other states,,,just cos of thr appereance.......if talking abt finacially...then i think ...nebdy in this community don't have to worry...cos once....gorkhaland is acheived....then thr r enough people gorkhali here in india and darjeeling...and all around the world......to...help.. mr. sanjay and..mr saugata...with all do respect y u both r concentrating on population....of gorkhalis in darjeeling only..i know ur correct with ur statics or can be wrong....but ...it is the reason....for low population cos of the situation and the poverty that people had to suffer....if gorkhaland is acheived ...they all come back to thr land for...better and i guess.....u both frds will b ready with ur stats to count how many gorkhalis r thr now....ok........wat abt the gorkalis living out of the state...., abroad....have u tried to count them.....thr were more gorkhalis then this in india when Damber singh gurung ....represented gorkhalis in parliament......while requesting for gorkhaland 1st time in parliament........well even if i forget all this i said above.....give me one good reason y we should keep ourself attached to a state......who's so call ministrs call gorkhalis.....a foreinger.....ur talking abt unity and indian hood when ur own govt consider us foreinger........sumant sen one of the senior jounroulist from the telegarm news paper ....wrote ...in a such a discriment way abt gorkhalis..and abt thr origin....calling us forigner..........ur...so called...mr.chakaraborty.........made a..public...speech in which he stated...that india gorkhas r forienger.............how do u expect us to...belive on these kind of burocrates.....will devolope......darjeeling....neways....if they had ne intention of such kind they would have done far better to devolope......darjeeling i guess this....queation of gorkhaland woudn't have arised........we want gorkhaland....cos...a every single person in drajeeling wheather he is gorkhali or non-gorkhali.....wants a better life for him and his family.........which WB govt. failled to do so by ignoring....it....i guess this will b enough.....u don't have to worry abt.....revenue or..size of the state......we gorkhalis.....we have livied and ...survived ever condition....how worst can it be now.....................gorkhaland is wat we want that is wat we will have......and it dosn't matter...how long we have to wait.

Big fight for small states

2008-06-26T09:06:00.001+05:30

The resurgence of the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland carved out of West Bengal has revived the debate within political parties on smaller states. In the absence of unanimity, each political party has worked out its own logic for supporting or resisting demands for smaller - or not-so-small - states.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) favours splitting up states, barring a few, for better governance while the Congress party prefers not to have a fixed position on the issue. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) is against smaller states per se but its parent, Communist Party of India (CPI), is all for them – barring a few ones. Clearly, political India has no single mind on whether smaller states are good for the country.
The campaign for Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh had the strong backing of the tribals, who felt they were not getting their due from the plainspeople. Those clamouring for Uttaranchal - also mainly a hilly region and home to many tourist and Hindu pilgrimage centres - wanted to get out of the clutches of the mammoth Uttar Pradesh. In 2000, all three states - Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand - were carved respectively out of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. That success only emboldened the feelings of those who say they too need separate states
Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name given to the area around Darjeeling and the Duars in north West Bengal. Residents of the area, mostly Gorkhas have long demanded a separate state for themselves to preserve their Nepali identity and to improve their socio-economic conditions.
The Gorkhaland movement in the 1980s turned violent amid charges by the Marxists that the Congress was secretly backing the Gorkhas so as to undermine the CPI-M in West Bengal. Its advocates say they are not satisfied with the limited autonomy granted to them. A separate Gorkhaland would be made up mainly of the hilly parts of northern West Bengal, close to Nepal. Its capital would be Darjeeling, a tourist paradise. The CPI-M is fighting the Gorkhaland movement tooth and nail. Splitting West Bengal would mean the party losing an area of its present influence and administrative jurisdiction. (Sify)

Sikkim government moves Supreme Court on Gorkhaland issue

2008-06-26T08:57:00.000+05:30

New Delhi: Following the ongoing Gorkhaland agitation, the Sikkim government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court for a direction to the Centre and the West Bengal government to ensure free movement of traffic on National Highway No. 31A to and from Sikkim.
A vacation Bench of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice G.S. Singhvi decided to hear the petition on Thursday on a mention made by counsel for the State A. Mariarputham about the filing of an application.
The Bench, after hearing senior counsel P.H. Parekh, said it would take up another application filed by O.P. Bhandari seeking the same relief.
The apex court had already issued notice on a writ petition from Mr. Bhandari for a direction to the parties concerned to take appropriate action during bandhs and strikes called by political parties and social organisations. The present applications are filed in the same writ petition.
The applicants said on account of frequent bandhs called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the last few days, the entire stretch of NH-31A from Siliguri to Sikkim was closed and traffic had been disrupted as the followers refused to allow vehicles on the road.
This was the only national highway connecting the State with the rest of the country and due to the blockade, the people of Sikkim and thousands of tourists were stranded. The people were facing miserable conditions as even essential commodities and medicines could not reach Sikkim.
The applicants pointed out that the GJM had commenced an indefinite strike from June 14 and had asked the people to store essential goods for about 45 days.
Contending that life had come to a standstill due to the road block, they sought a direction to the Centre and the West Bengal government to ensure free movement of vehicles and people on NH 31A. (The Hindu)

Gorkhaland for all, says GJM

2008-06-26T08:55:00.000+05:30

Press Trust of India
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 (Kolkata)
The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, which is fighting for Gorkhaland, on Wednesday said that the separate state was not only meant for Gorkhas, but for other communities, too.''We are not saying that Gorkhaland is only for the Gorkhas. It is for the people residing in the map of Gorkhaland,'' said GJM central committee member Anmole Prasad.''Our first priority is to ensure that there is no disharmony between communities in the course of the movement,'' Prasad, who is among the four-member GJM delegation, which arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday for talks with the West Bengal government on June 27, said.Prasad, the legal adviser of the GJM, said during their stay in Kolkata, the delegates wanted to strengthen harmony between Bengalis and Gorkhas.He, however, criticised the attacks on Morcha supporters at Bagdogra on June eight and on students. ''It was almost like ethnic cleansing. Students from the hills were driven out of hostels.'' (NDTV)

Gorkhaland impossible: Dasmunshi

2008-06-26T08:53:00.001+05:30

Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi on Thursday welcomed the bandh relaxation in the Darjeeling hills by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), but said that Gorkhaland was an impossibility.Blaming the state government for neglecting the Darjeeling hills, which had led to the growth of divisive forces in the region, the minister and also PCC chief told reporters that all problems would be settled through dialogue.But under no circumstances, West Bengal would be divided, he said adding that the demand for Gorkhaland would not be possible to meet.Dasmunshi also said there was no question of tripartite discussion on the Darjeeling issue. The GJM should sit with the state government and resolve problems through dialogue.Congress, he said, would extend all help and cooperation. (NDTV)

Gorkhaland stir will fizzle out

2008-06-26T08:52:00.000+05:30

THE ISSUE : The state government should deal with the Gorkhaland agitation with a heavy hand.The Gorkhaland agitation is not new. It had been there in the past when Mr Subhas Ghisingh was in control. Subsequently, with devolution of power to the autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) the demand for a separate Gorkhaland subsided. But, the problem was not banished forever, corruption and lack of development has caused a lot of discontent. Mr Bimal Gurung, has now assumed leadership of the agitation and revived the dream of a separate Gorkhaland comprising Darjeeling, Siliguri and the adjoining Dooars. Earlier, the DGHC’s demand for inclusion in the Sixth Schedule had also been dashed. As a result, the confidence of the Gorkha people in the government of West Bengal has been shaken.In the circumstances, the state government will have a tough time dealing with the current agitation launched by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) under Mr Gurung with a heavy hand, given the present political situation in the state in the aftermath of the panchayat election. With the tide now in the reverse course, any tangible solution appears to lie in forging an all-party consensus, particularly when the Centre has already made it clear that no further division of the state of West Bengal is acceptable.The call of the GJMM for continuous bandhs in the hills will prove counter-productive and fizzle out when the suffering of the people will multiply.PARAMANANDA PAL,17 June, Kolkata.(The statesman)

Darjeeling not to pay vehicle taxes from 7 July

2008-06-26T08:50:00.000+05:30

Statesman News Service DARJEELING, June 25: Alleging apathy on the state government's part towards the Gorkhaland demand, the All Transport Joint Action Committee (ATJAC), Darjeeling has resolved to stop paying motor-vehicle taxes from 7 July. The decision comes in the wake of GJMM chief Mr Bimal Gurung's declaration to implement Gorkhaland number plates on vehicles within the boundary of the proposed state of Gorkhaland. “The state government has overlooked our problems and demands for ages. In defiance of its authority, all vehicles will bear GL on number plates from 7 July and no vehicle owner will pay taxes from the same date,” said ATJAC president Mr Narbu Lama today. This is an add-on to the existing non-cooperation move of the GJMM involving non-payment of electricity and telephone bills. “The rule is compulsory for all private and public vehicles including buses, lorries and two-wheelers. Strict action would be taken against those who do not obey. Those who are not a member of the committee will submit a copy of their license with the GJMM so that we can keep track,” Mr Lama stated. While the number on the plates would remain the same, vehicles of the Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Siliguri sub-divisions would be identified through the GL initials affixed on the number plates. The committee that has approximately 90 syndicates in Siliguri, Bagdogra and Dooars, is convincing them to fix the GL number plates as well. “A meeting will be convened with the syndicates on 28 July. It will be good if they decide to take the risk otherwise they will have to fix GL plates beyond Darjeeling More and towards the hills. The same applies to private vehicles coming to the hills,” Mr Lama said adding that his organisation, “would resort to other forms of demonstration if the administration stopped them.” The district administration considers the move if implemented as illegal. “We will do whatever is required under the Motor Vehicles Act. Anybody who dofies it is liable to penalty,” the Darjeeling district magistrate Mr Rajesh Pandey said.

BJP stands up for the Hills

2008-06-26T08:49:00.000+05:30

Statesman News ServiceSILIGURI, June 25: The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party would abide by the party High Command's view on the sensitive Gorkhaland issue. “This is a serious issue and we are not competent to comment on the separate statehood matter when the party stalwart Mr L K Advani and the High Command are dealing with it directly,” the BJP state president Mr Sukumar Banerjee said today." Much confusion is being created over yesterday's meeting in New Delhi between Mr Advani and the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha delegation. It is not that the BJP leadership has thrown its weight behind the GJMM's statehood demand. Mr Advani has merely asked the GJMM delegation to place relevant papers,” Mr Banerjee said. When asked to comment on the BJP High Command's reported conveyance of sympathy for the Gorkhaland cause, the BJP leader said that expressing sympathy for a collective aspiration of a region was not wrong. “There is no doubt that the Darjeeling Hills happen to be among the most neglected regions and the state government has done practically nothing to uplift it. The grievances of the people are genuine,” he stated.Slamming the state and particularly the CPI-M, the BJP leader said that provocative statements being issued by some CPI-M leaders were queering the pitch further. “It is dangerous to keep this region disturbed forever because of its strategic importance. A viable solution must be evolved soon through the cooperation of all. And Mr Advani has just heralded this process,” Mr Banerjee said.Speaking on the subject, the Darjeeling district BJP president Mr Tapas Banerjee said that the CPI-M had been playing with fire and the situation in the Hills would run out of control if it continued.

Indian gorkhas are not rebels without a cause

2008-06-26T08:45:00.001+05:30

When the first batch of Indian Nepalese, or Gorkhas as they like to be called, settled in what is now Darjeeling, there was nobody to record it for history. But Darjeeling already had a resident population when the British, after a ravaging war with the fierce warriors, brought them down with guile to annex the hill tracts in 1814. That was almost 200 years ago. A decade after that General Lloyd and J W Grant of the East India Company began the first British settlements in Darjeeling, finding it favourable both as a getaway and sanatorium. The region was formally adopted by the British in 1837 and a road from Pankhabari to Ghoom, and then up to Darjeeling, leapt up almost immediately as a hotel was established in Kurseong for European travellers. By 1866, Darjeeling district as we know today was complete. It's surprising, therefore, that CPM state secretariat member and West Bengal transport minister Subhas Chakrabarty should call Gorkhas foreigners, exhibiting ignorance about the history of a region that has long been a part of West Bengal. That apart, it's doubly worrying that his utterances have come when the hills are burning with the renewed rage of a people marginalized and dispossessed through centuries. It didn't help either that external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, and not the Union home minister, made a statement just a day before that when he dismissed the demand for a separate Gorkhaland. Could he have thought, for a slippery moment, that Gorkhas being "foreigners" all matters relating to them logically come under external affairs? Today, when charged up masses in the hills have pledged to go on a 45-day strike, botching up on history can have grave consequences. Also, it will be worthwhile for the Buddhadeb government to remember that the first rumblings of discontent were heard in the hills way back in 1907, making the call for separate statehood and identity one of the country's oldest rebellions. The wounds thus are centuries old and call for sensitivity and diplomacy. More importantly, Subash Ghising sold his Gorkhaland dream 20 years ago to a government that just wanted the monkey off its back. No genuine effort was made to tackle the festering problems of poverty, unemployment, water scarcity, lack of quality higher education and roads. All that was done was a promise made to Ghising that his autonomous hill council wouldn't be accountable to anyone and that he could run it like a fief if he so wanted with no questions asked. Now, though, both the dynamics of agitation and those leading it have changed. Indications are Bimal Gurung of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, spearheading the fresh homeland demand, will not sell out, prolonging an agitation that can be bitter, violent and more broadbased. After all, much has happened in the Hills in the last two decades and Gorkhas, in India and abroad, are better educated, better connected and better equipped to sustain their struggle. There is already a frantic Internet community exhorting people to lend a helping hand to their brethren back home. There is also a new cultural and linguistic nationalism in the way Gorkhas came together, from Nagaland to Nepal, Mumbai to Manhattan, to heave and push Prashant Tamang to his Indian Idol victory last year which has come into play in the region, making the situation trickier than earlier. Socio-economic indicators of the Hills show that a staggering 75% of the populace, according to Laden Tenzing of Tenzing Wine Store in Kurseong, are alcoholics. Though culturally a wine-drinking people, he says neither he nor his father remember so many people hitting the bottle. This time around, the agitators need to be brought to the table and efforts made to address immediate issues, ensuring that the escape hatch of all the piled up despondence and hopelessness is not violence. Not again. (Anand Soondas ,TNN)

Centre has not rejected demand for tripartite talks: GJM

2008-06-26T08:43:00.001+05:30

KOLKATA: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) on Wednesday claimed that the Centre has not rejected its demand for tripartite talks on Gorkhaland and has been asked to approach the West Bengal government for a three-way discussion. "During a meeting between a GJM delegation and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in Delhi yesterday we were told that if we want a tripartite meeting, the state government can facilitate it and we must approach it," GJM Central Committee member and its legal advisor Anmole Prasad said. Stating that the GJM would reiterate its demand for Gorkhaland during the June 27 talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Prasad said, "We will ask him to take steps to facilitate a tripartite meeting." Commenting on reports appearing in the press, Prasad, who is a member of the four-member GJM delegation that arrived on Tuesday for talks with the state government said, "These are distorted versions. Unless a tripartite meeting is held how it can be said that Centre has rejected our demand for Gorkhaland?" Speaking about the relaxation till July 5 of the indefinite bandh in Darjeeling, he said it had been done to create a conducive climate for dialogue. "We want that there should be building of bridges for examining the demand for Gorkhaland," he said. On the problems being faced by Sikkim due to the blockades on National Highway 31-A because of its bandh, he said though the GJM did not want Sikkim to suffer, this was happening because of the geographical position of the Himalayan state. (TOI)

Gorkhaland Strike

2008-06-24T20:22:00.001+05:30

The Gorkhaland movement will have a direct impact on the Tea industry

Statehood no solution: Maoists

2008-06-24T15:04:00.000+05:30

Calcutta, June 23: The Nepal Maoists believe the Gorkhaland movement is none of their business but caution that statehood itself is not a solution.
Lakshman Panth, a middle-level leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), today said the statehood demand by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was an “internal affair of India”.
Panth, who attended a meeting organised in Calcutta by a forum of 14 Naxalite organisations, however, added that the creation of Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh had “hardly solved the problems of the poor people”.
“That’s why we don’t think a Gorkhaland will automatically solve the problems of backwardness among Indian Nepalese or Gorkhas. A lot depends on the character of the leadership.” (The Telegraph)

GORKHLAND ISSUE CENTER AND COMMUNIST (CPM)

2008-06-24T14:43:00.003+05:30

The nuclear deal issue is at its high. Mayawati has already withdrawn her support from the UPA alliance, Congress is looking for support from Mulayam Singh Yadav. CPM has bluntly rejected the proposal of Nuclear deal.
In the earlier stage when the nuclear deal became a big issue Nandigram happened and Congress sold it with Nandigram. This time again the nuclear deal has surfaced and Gorkhaland movement is at high. The mainstream media is giving trifle news of Gorkhaland vis-a vis N-deal. Today Rosan Giri led GJM team is in the capital asking for Gorkhaland and Kolkata TV said that center is ready for the tripatrite meeting. But it did not say what will be the topic of talk. Subash Chakraborty (CP(I)M) is adhering to his former stand and so is Priya Ranjan Das Munsi that there will be no separate state of Gorkhaland.
At this juncture what will be the fate of the Gorkhaland movement?
This time without invitation from the center the GJM team is in Capital and the report says that they are there to lobby for the Gorkhaland. In the middle of the day (2 pm news) the news comes that they have been assured of the tripatrite talk. Very astonishing!! Will Centre (UPA) government save its government and N-deal by selling Gorkhaland movement to CP(I)M this time like they sold Nandigram earlier and saved its govenment and CP(I)M?
As I see this is a seer eyewash from the side of Center. There is no moment of jubiliation here and GJM cannot take this as a victory as this could be the end of the Gandhigiri movement.

Gorkhas recruit hundreds in Darjeeling Hills

2008-06-24T14:39:00.002+05:30

(Photo: from beacononline)
Darjeeling, June 24 (ANI): Hundreds of people queued up in the Darjeeling Hills area to participate in a Gorkha community recruitment drive.
At least 2,000 men and women are expected to be recruited over the next few days.
They will undergo martial arts training, and some of them will be allowed to carry kukris, a traditional knife, a Gorkha leader said.
Hundreds, including girls, have braved the steady drizzle and cold weather to throng a stadium to get their names registered.
We are here for the registration of GLP (Gorkha Land Personnel). We want Gorkhaland by any means. Until the government decides to give us Gorkhaland, we will continue our protests and fights for it, said Rima Chetri, a volunteer of the GLP force.
The Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJM) had called for an indefinite shutdown on Monday from June 10 onwards to mount pressure for the granting of separate statehood.
According to the GJM leaders, the decision to relax the shutdown followed requests of some union ministers to enable school students to finish their term before summer vacations begin from June 25.
The GJM, comprising about half a dozen parties, has been organizing protests over the past few months in the Darjeeling Hills over a demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.
The West Bengal Government, however, has been resisting the demand.
The strike in the Darjeeling Hills has badly hit the tourism and the tea industry, two mainstays of the local economy. A tea industry official has warned exports of premium Darjeeling tea could fall 20-25 per cent this year.
The Gorkha population in West Bengal is around one million out of 80 million people, although the overwhelming majority is concentrated in Darjeeling. (ANI)

CPI(ML) New Democracy Dharna at jantar mantar in support of separate state of Gorkhaland (Pictures)

2008-06-23T19:58:00.005+05:30

All Photos taken by Jyoti Mukhia (21/6/08)

GORKHALAND MOVEMENT: PEOPLE'S OPINION

2008-06-13T09:40:00.001+05:30

Kolkata TV organized a live telecast from Chourastha on the opinion of hill people

Army on alert in Siliguri after violence over Gorkhaland demand

2008-06-13T09:01:00.000+05:30

Darjeeling, June 12: The Army was alerted in Siliguri and adjacent areas after violent clashes today between Gorkhas and non-Gorkhas during a 48-hour bandh called by the little known Amra Bangali and backed by Jana Chetana, an outfit formed to oppose the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) demand for inclusion of Siliguri and areas of the Dooars in a separate state of Gorkhaland.
By afternoon, SSB border guards were out in many parts of Siliguri town and on its outskirts.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was asked by Left Front partner CPI to “hold talks without pre-conditions” with the GJM, decided to call an all-party meeting on June 17 to discuss the Darjeeling crisis over the demand for a separate Gorkhaland.
Describing the Siliguri incidents as “a matter of the greatest anxiety”, Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi urged people to do nothing “that will provoke violence”.
In New Delhi, the Union Home Ministry said it had moved nearly 1,000 Central paramilitary personnel to West Bengal to deal with the situation.
In Darjeeling, GJM chief Bimal Gurung slammed the ruling CPM for “trying to make another Nandigram of Siliguri and the foothills with its murderous cadres”.
“No one had ever seen either the Amra Bangali or Jana Chetana which are behind the bandh and the violence today. They are just a front for the CPM and Asok Bhattacharjee, West Bengal Minister who hails from Siliguri,” alleged Gurung, asking GJM supporters to remain calm.
Violence erupted in the Champasari area of Siliguri — it has a mixed population of Gorkhas, Bengalis, Biharis and others — after non-Gorkhas, especially traders hit by the GJM agitation, came out in strength and joined an Amra Bangali procession which began targeting Gorkhas, assaulting them.
Those who led the attacks claimed they were teaching the GJM a “lesson for harassing Bengali tourists” in the hills. Violence soon spread to areas like Pradhan Nagar, Sahidnagar, Bidhan Market and other pockets of the town. In Bagdogra, a Gorkha student’s motorcycle was smashed and set ablaze.
Taken aback by the attacks, the Gorkhas began grouping and hit back. Police had to teargas mobs at several places to try and restore order. As news of the attacks on Gorkhas reached Darjeeling, tension mounted and GJM activists called up their head office to check whether they should retaliate in the hills. But GJM leaders, including Bimal Gurung, told them not to resort to violence.
“Do not walk into Minister Asok Bhattacharjee’s trap,” Gurung told angry activists. “If the situation does not improve, we will send 50,000 volunteers to provide security to Gorkhas. We do not want to take the blame for communal violence in Darjeeling. The agitation for Gorkhaland should be fought peacefully, in a Gandhian way,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has asked the Prime Minister to intervene. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should personally intervene to resolve the problems in the Darjeeling hills permanently so that the people of Sikkim can lead a peaceful life without being put to difficulty due to bandhs on the National Highway which is the state’s sole road link with the rest of the country,” Chamling said in a letter to the PM.
CPM, Trinamool clash again, one killed
COOCH BEHAR: A college student was killed and several others were injured in a clash between supporters of CPM and Trinamool Congress at Nakkatigachh near Tufanganj in Cooch Behar district, police said. BSF personnel were deployed in the area. Fifteen people were arrested, police said. (Indian Express)

‘Apolitical’ bikers with a Left tilt

2008-06-13T08:55:00.000+05:30

Siliguri, June 12: They came out in droves, zipping through the streets of Siliguri to enforce the bandh.
Not many months after Nandigram saw motorcycle brigades, Siliguri, too, witnessed the phenomenon today for the first time. However, unlike in Nandigram, the Siliguri bikers were neither hooded nor armed.
The bikers were not part of Amra Bangali, the outfit which had called today’s bandh, but supporters of a nascent organisation, Jana Jagaran, that has been formed to protest the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s call for statehood.
As soon as the bikers — spread out in batches of 50 to 60 throughout the town — spotted any vehicles coming down from the hills, they stopped the travellers and asked them to return. Only tourists were allowed to pass.
“We don’t want any disruption by the Morcha any longer,” said a member of the “brigade” who did not want to be named. “We are demonstrating to prove a point: we won’t tolerate the Morcha’s whimsical calls of indefinite bandhs any longer.”
It was supporters of this organisation that had stopped five trucks carrying supplies to the hills last night and ransacked them. “But it is important to remember that we are against Gorkhaland, not against the Gorkhas,” a “brigade” leader said.
The Jana Jagaran claims that it is an “apolitical” body of Siliguri citizens which will fight the Morcha’s statehood demand.
Emphasising the “apolitical” nature of the organi- sation, joint secretary Ashoke Kumar Hore said: “We have academics, critics, writers, doctors, and people from different walks of life in our committee who might have different political views.”
But 60 per cent of its committee members are either affiliated to the outfits of the CPM or associated with the party.
For instance, Malay Karanjai, the principal of the Siliguri College, is a member of the CPM-dominated West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association and veteran academician Haren Ghosh is a member of the West Bengal Democratic Writers and Artists’ Association, also known for its “intellectual ties” with the Left.
The Jana Jagaran held a meeting with state hill affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya today. “We agreed with the minister that we should make all efforts to bring peace and not provoke the situation,” said Hore.
But the outfit did not say whether supplies would be allowed to be taken to the hills tomorrow.(The Telegraph)

Bricks fly as bridge turns into battlefield

2008-06-13T08:52:00.001+05:30

Siliguri, June 12: A brick-battle between two communities residing on either side of the Mahananada here almost spiralled out of control today before the administration imposed Section 144 to prevent the violence from turning ethnic.
Although it is not certain which side threw the first stone, a 300-strong crowd from Ganesh Ghosh Colony, opposed to Gorkhaland, was spotted on the First Mahananda Bridge around 12.30pm, heading for Bhanunagar, a Nepali dominated area (see map). Almost all of them were armed with catapults and sticks.
The Nepalis in Bhanunagar got ready to retaliate and soon stones rained from both sides on NH31. The 10 or so policemen posted on the bridge, who turned away the mob, were not spared either. The men in khaki gave chase to the attackers and burst three rounds of tear gas shells to disperse them.
The more determined in the crowd then left the bridge to cross the riverbed, which at some places had knee-deep water. Around 100 of them crossed over and the bank was soon dotted with the “armed men”. A hail of stones came down on the houses in Bhanunagar.
“Before I could realise anything, there was a sound of shattering glass and the windowpanes of my bedroom were gone,” said Dilmaya Dhungel, who stays in Bhanunagar.
A force from the Bhaktinagar police station in Jalpaiguri district then approached Bhanunagar. Accompanied by the supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, they managed to drive away the crowd, which ran for the river.
A second police contingent, led by the additional police supereintendent, Siliguri, Rajesh Yadav, marched towards Ganesh Ghosh Colony. Yadav and one of his men were injured when the mob threw stones at them before fleeing. The police then fired 27 rounds of teargas. By then the police had taken control of the bridge and the additional district magistrate of Siliguri, Paritosh Roy, declared Section 144 (unlawful assembly of four or more persons) in the area for an indefinite period.
K.L. Tamta, the inspector-general of police also reached the spot. “There had been some stray incidents and at least nine of our men were injured, but our well-timed intervention helped bring the situation under control,” he said.
Earlier in the day there had been a flare-up at Pradhannagar where some Morcha supporters allegedly opened some shops and put up their party flags. The enforcers of the bandh called by the Amra Bangali forced them to down shutters. Fearing a ransack, the shopowners downed shutters and brought down the Morcha flags. The police came a few minutes later and dispersed the mob. (The Telegraph)

SILIGURI STRIKES: IN PICTURES

2008-06-13T08:06:00.002+05:30

All pictures taken from Himalaya Darpan

BEACON ONLINE REQUESTED TO RALLY INTERNATIONAL BENGALI COMMUNITY IN THE FAVOUR OF GORKHALAND

2008-06-12T20:36:00.000+05:30

By Barun Roy
Dr. Sudip Ghosh, Professor Emeritus, South Carolina, USA has called for all parties in West Bengal to refrain from converting the Gorkhaland Movement into a communal affair. Dr. Ghosh in an interaction with Beacon Online said, “Bengalese all over the world have had a soft corner for Darjeeling Hills and are essentially lovers of the land, people and culture. To portray the fact that Bengalese own Darjeeling Hills is absurd to say the least. It is high time that Gorkhas who predominate in the Hills be given the Right to Self Determination.” Asked about the steps taken by the CPIM lead West Bengal Government, he said, “Buddhadev Bhattacharya must initiate dialogue with the GJM leaders but before that he must give up his ‘Bengal owns Darjeeling Hills’ perspective. In modern day democracy, Colonial attitudes must be shed. CPIM has failed in Nandigram and its policies should not lead to another Nandigram in the tranquil hills of Darjeeling. What is happening in the Dooars Terai is sad. People of both races, Bengalese, Nepalese and Kamtapuris who have lived peacefully for years should not be pitched against each other in armed struggles. The Communist Government at Kolkata might feel that this will weaken the Gorkhaland Movement, yet in reality it will instead break the very fabric of Bengal and indeed the whole of North East. I request all involved including the GJM leadership to calm the people, resolve immediate animosity and concentrate on negotiating with the Union Government at New Delhi. To read more visit:
http://beacononline.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/beacon-online-requested-to-rally-international-bengali-community-in-the-favour-of-gorkhaland/#comment-5965

Political unrest in the Darjeeling hills likely to affect the tea industry

2008-06-12T15:30:00.000+05:30

The Tea industry in the Darjeeling hills suffered badly recording 30% slump in production in first and second flush teas since the beginning of the new season due to the Political unrest, reports Economic Times.
Senior official of the Darjeeling tea industry expressed the concern about the industry saying that it may suffer losses in 2008 if the movement of teas from gardens to trade destinations is stopped because of the political unrest.
Though the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has exempted the tea industry from the bandh, transport availability for carrying tea to the auction centres and warehouses has been hit by the bandh. Besides, if such sporadic unrest continues, it will be difficult for tea companies to smoothly carry out day-to-day operations; he stated
To compound matters, the monsoon has already hit Darjeeling. Once the rainy season commences, the Darjeeling tea industry starts producing rains teas, which fetch lower prices in the domestic and international markets. The movement of fertilizers and packaging materials to gardens and transportation of processed tea outside Darjeeling and Dooars have already taken a severe hit, courtesy the GJM shutdown. (myiris)

Army called out to patrol Siliguri streets

2008-06-12T15:28:00.000+05:30

Kolkata/Siliguri (PTI): The Army was on Thursday called out to patrol streets of Siliguri and adjacent areas following attacks on local people, tourists and police by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha activists demanding a separate state.
As tension prevailed in various areas in north Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee called an all-party meeting on June 17 to discuss the Darjeeling crisis arising out of the Morcha's demand.
"I contacted the Army, discussed the situation with the authorities and asked them to patrol streets as early as possible in Siliguri and the vicinity," Bhattacharjee said at Writers' Buildings here.
Saying that an unrest was growing in Siliguri and its adjoining areas, he appealed to people there and all political parties to maintain peace and amity and not to indulge in violence.
"You have to maintain peace and harmony which is the need of the hour," Bhattacharjee said.
GJM supporters attacked tourists and policemen, injuring 28 people and damaged 16 vehicles last evening at Malbazar in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district, as two organisations observed a 48-hour bandh in this north Bengal town in Darjeeling district from on Thursday.
Twelve tourists, being escorted by Forest Department personnel from a forest bungalow at Chapramari in Jalpaiguri district, were attacked by armed GJM supporters at Khunia More, Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife-II, Tapan Das said.
The GJM supporters torched one of the vehicles the tourists were travelling in and damaged the other and also attacked local people at Malbazar town and stoned the police when they intervened. (The Hindu)

GJM bandh: Army called in Darjeeling (Siliguri & Duars)

2008-06-12T15:24:00.000+05:30

As the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha bandh takes violent turn, the administration has called in the Army to control the situation.There has been reports of police lathicharge and use of teargas against the stone-throwing anti-Gorkhaland picketers in Darjeeling.There were fresh tensions in Darjeeling on Monday where the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, who are demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland, called an indefinite bandh. The bandh was relaxed on Thursday so that the tourists who were stranded could leave the hill station.Over the last two days, there's been a virtual exodus of tourists from the popular hill station.But now, a 48-hour bandh has been called in Siliguri which is at the foothills. It has been called by a group opposed to the Gorkha movement.Now no vehicles are being allowed to go into Darjeeling from the plains.Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee has called an all-party meeting on June 17 to discuss the Darjeeling crisis arising out of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's demand for separate Gorkhaland state.

Redrawing the map of Gorkhaland

2008-06-12T10:59:00.002+05:30

Joel Rai

An indefinite bandh in Darjeeling has fixed the focus once again on the issue of Gorkhaland. Joel Rai explains what’s behind the demand for a separate state and how the current demand differs from previous ones

There is an indefinite bandh in Darjeeling and tourists have been stranded. What is happening there?
The three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling district—Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong—have been closed down for an indefinite period by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) as part of their agitation for the formation of a separate state of Gorkhaland. The GJM, formed late in 2007, has revived the demand for Gorkhaland and has been holding protests and rallies in support of a state that is to be carved out of West Bengal.
•What is the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and who is leading it?
The GJM was formed by Bimal Gurung, earlier a councillor of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. He was a close associate of Subhas Ghising, president of the Gorkha National Liberation Force (GNLF). The two fell out in 2007 over the attempt to extend 6th Schedule status to Darjeeling. Under the 6th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, certain tribal-majority areas are given autonomy in administration. While the GNLF wanted the 6th Schedule status with enhanced powers for the Hill Council, the GJM desired full statehood. The Centre introduced the 6th Schedule to the Constitution Amendment Bills in Parliament in December 2007 but it was shelved.
•So where is Subhas Ghising and what has happened to the GNLF?
While the GNLF exists as a political organisation, almost its entire support base has moved to the GJM. After a visit to Kolkata in March this year, Ghising was barred from entering Darjeeling by the GJM until he resigned as caretaker administrator of the Hill Council. The term of the last Hill Council expired in 2004, and no elections were held thereafter. The West Bengal Government appointed Ghising as caretaker administrator, extending his term every six months until his resignation in March. Thereafter, Ghising has remained confined to his home in Darjeeling.
•What is behind the demand for Gorkhaland?
The demand for a separate administrative set-up for Gorkhas of India was first voiced in 1907, when the premier civil-society body of the Gorkhas, the Hillmen’s Association, asked the British for an administrative set-up separate from Bengal. In 1946, the then undivided Communist Party of India demanded that the Darjeeling areas be constituted in an entity called Gorkhastan. The GNLF took up the issue in a big way from 1986. All these demands considered the ethnic, cultural and linguistic distinctions between the populations of Darjeeling and the rest of West Bengal. Under the West Bengal administration, feel the Gorkhas, Darjeeling has not developed despite being a world-renowned centre for tea, tourism and education.
•What is different from this current demand for Gorkhaland and the one led by the GNLF?
There are two major turns that the current demand for a separate state has taken that distinguishes it from the earlier demand.
First, the map for the current Gorkhaland envisages not only the three hills subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, but also Siliguri and parts of the Dooars that fall in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts in North Bengal, extending up to the River Sunkosh on the border with Bhutan. While the GNLF had included Dooars in its programme, it did not push for their inclusion in their map of Gorkhaland, a result of which was that when the DGHC formed only the hill subdivisions were included in it, leaving out chunks of the plains where large populations of Gorkhas reside. The GJM has managed not only to garner the support of Gorkhas in the plains, but also of the Adivasis, who form a substantial percentage of the population of the Dooars. This has created tensions between the Bengalis of Siliguri and the Gorkhas. The Bengali resistance to Siliguri’s inclusion in the agitation plans of GJM is lead by its local MLA and West Bengal Minister of Municipal Affairs Asok Bhattacharya. The Siliguri Municipality has already passed a resolution that it will fight all attempts to include Siliguri in the proposed state.
Second, unlike earlier, there is an intellectual push to the current demand for Gorkhaland. One of the impetus for a separate state of Gorkhas would be securing of their identity as Indians. Indian Gorkhas have long been misidentified as being citizens of Nepal and they feel that a state of their own will root them to India. The Gorkhaland of their imagination, therefore, does not only secure the economic development of the Darjeeling area but also the political identity of the over one crore Indian Gorkhas across the country.
• So are the Indian Gorkhas migrants from Nepal or where have they come from?
Indian Gorkhas have been residents of India for centuries. Under the Treaty of Sugauli in 1815, Nepal ceded an area of 18,000 sq km to the British. This territory constitutes what are today parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Darjeeling district. A treaty with Bhutan in 1860 brought the current Dooars areas in Bengal and Assam into British possession. The Gorkha population resident in these territories became part of British India then. The Gorkhas participated in the Freedom Movement with Gandhiji and also joined the Azad Hind Fauj in big numbers. The tune of India’s national anthem Jana Gana Mana was taken from an original composition by Captain Ram Singh Thakur, a Gorkha in the INA. Two Gorkhas, Damber Singh Gurung and Ari Bahadur Gurung were members of the Constituent Assembly. Ari Bahadur Gurung was a member of the drafting committee. He is a signatory to the first Constitution of India.
However, there are two groups of Gorkhas in India, the Indian Gorkhas and those who have come to India under the provisions of the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Friendship that allows Nepalese citizens to come and work, buy property and settle in India without permits. Their presence in India has led to confusion about the nationality of Indian Gorkhas and they are often misidentified as Nepalese citizens. A separate state of Gorkhaland, they feel, will help seal their identity as Indians.
•What happens now?
West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has said that there will be no official talks with the GJM so long as they continue to demand Gorkhaland. On its part, the GJM says it’s a separate state or nothing. The 1980s agitation saw violence that took a toll of 1,200 lives. Dialogue between the political organisations and the state and Centre looks like the only way out. (Indian Express)

ROSHAN GIRI ON GORKHALAND ISSUES

2008-06-12T10:16:00.001+05:30

Why Gorkhaland? Since 1917 the issue of separate state and identity has been raised but why India is silent? Rosan Giri on the issues in Kolkata TV where Ashok Bhattachargee was also a participant.

Gorkha unrest cuts, tears & curls Darjeeling crop

2008-06-12T08:59:00.000+05:30

Demand for Gorkhaland state leads to losses of Rs 4 crore per day across 87 estates
KOLKATA: Dhanraj Thapa, Biresh Bahadur, Rohit Gurung and Sonali Pawn are among the 80,000 labourers working in the 87 lush tea estates across Darjeeling.
But their livelihood has taken a backseat to their need for a separate Gorkhaland state. Their demand has hit the world’s ‘muscatel-flavoured finest teas’ hard. In the last few days, Darjeeling’s tea industry has suffered badly due to the agitation, losing an estimated Rs 4 crore a day.
Making matters worse is the fact that the best of Darjeeling-summer and second-flush tea —are produced in June. They command high prices in both domestic and global markets and comprise almost 25-30% of the total production of Darjeeling tea, 90% of which is exported.
Planters across Darjeeling, Dooars and the entire North Bengal belt, which churns out about 25% of the total tea produced in India, are a worried lot.
A planter from Darjeeling, who did not wish to be named, said the call for indefinite closure has sparked panic. “There seems to be no solution in sight. We anticipate huge losses... We are at the mercy of the government.”
Industry estimates say the Darjeeling tea industry would lose 25% of its best produce and 40-45% of revenues because of the current strife.
Ashok Lohia, chairman of Chamong Group, the largest planter in Darjeeling owning 14 gardens, finds the situation untenable. “Business is badly hit. Indefinite closure of the district means dispatches would be impossible. There would be no rations and we can’t send samples to auctions.”(DNA)

GJM attacks tourists from city, 8 injured

2008-06-12T08:57:00.000+05:30

JALPAIGURI: The violence in Darjeeling took a grisly turn on Wednesday evening when Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters waylaid two groups of tourists from Kolkata near the Gorumara sanctuary and attacked them with choppers and iron rods, leaving eight badly injured. Among the victims are an elderly couple and four women. The attack marked a terrifying escalation of violence in the Gorkhaland stir. On Tuesday, GJM men smashed up buses but spared tourists. Within 24 hours, they turned fear into terror. Bimal Kumar Nandan (71) and wife Durgarani (59) clutched each other desperately as they were dragged out of their car and bashed up. The five others in their group were brutally assaulted. Their driver, a local, wasn’t spared either. Most of the victims are from Behala. Apart from the Nandan couple, five others were identified: Sarmishtha Das (27), Tapas Pal (26), Saikat Bakshi (29), Basanti Pal (45) and Saroj Sinha. This is the first-ever attack on tourists in the 25-year-old strife in the Hills. Even when the Gorkhaland agitation was at its peak in the 1980s, no non-Nepali person — not to speak of tourists — was harmed. The incident has sent shockwaves through the entire region, increasing anxiety among tourists who are still trapped. The 16-member team was returning from a trip to Chapramari forest in two cars when it ran into GJM activists at Khunia More on NH-31C at 6 pm. The GJM men, on their way back from Malbazar, were furious that tourists were moving around despite the strike and started pelting stones at them. One of the vehicles sped away. This angered them even more. Armed with iron rods and bhojalis, they attacked the second car. Windows were shattered, wounding the passengers. They were then dragged out of the vehicle along with the driver and assaulted. As the eight tourists lay bleeding on the highway, the GJM men set the car on fire and fled. By this time the other vehicle had managed to reach Lataguri. The panic-stricken tourists informed the resort owner, who called police and set off for Khunia More. The injured were taken to Mongolbari primary health centre at Chalsa and shifted to a hospital in Lataguri. The administration clamped Section 144 in Malbazar after the attack. IG (North Bengal) K L Tamta would only say that some tourists were “heckled and assaulted”. The situation is tense in several places in the Dooars. Warring groups have assembled and clashes could break out anytime. “It is shameful. Never before have tourists been attacked in the Dooars,” said DFO (wildlife-II) Tapas Das.

Distant thunder Wider implications of the Darjeeling bandh

2008-06-12T08:50:00.002+05:30

The storm clouds over Darjeeling become still more menacing with the Chief Minister ruling out negotiations on the statehood demand. Of course that decision eventually devolves on the Centre, but the state authorities have scarcely realised that aside from directing the ineffectual Subhas Ghisingh to step down, governance has been in a limbo since February this year. There has not been a semblance of an effort either by the state or the Centre to address the emotive grievances. There has been much too much of negativism ~ the stalling of the Sixth Schedule being the latest ~ and far too little of positive action towards a settlement. By assuring increased autonomy and yet convincing the Prime Minister that this precise piece of legislation ought to be kept in abeyance, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has managed to ensure that the hills are all of a tremble even without a tremblor. In the short term, the hapless will have to be brought back; in the long term the contentious issues can simmer.Almost matching the state’s indifference towards the hills has been the unconcern of the Centre, the latter with a decidedly more critical role to play in the future of a region whose people will settle for nothing less than statehood. It is a commentary on official insensitivity to the problems of Darjeeling that the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha has rather ironically chosen a particularly lucrative period of the calendar to buttress what it calls the “ultimate struggle”. On the face of it, the tourists are at the receiving end ~ a strategy intended to serve as a wake-up call for the government. Yes, but only to an extent. The morcha has called an indefinite bandh, acutely aware that it can turn out to be a self-inflicted wound. The shutdown will wreck the hotel and transport industry at the peak of summer tourism. The morcha activists are involved with these two segments, both terribly important for the local economy. It is a conscious decision to reinforce sub-regionalism to the extent that it will harm the business interests of this ethnic group. On the economic front, only the tea gardens and cinchona plantations have been kept out of the purview.Neither the state nor the Centre appear to have grasped the wider implications of the indefinite shutdown. A closed Darjeeling can be incalculably more disastrous for the locals than for the hordes out on a holiday. It is a desperate move of a people whose patience has been sorely tried over the past two decades. (The Statesman)

GJM relaxes indefinite bandh in Darjeeling for few hours

2008-06-11T19:46:00.000+05:30

Siliguri, Jun 11 (PTI) As the indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills entered its second day today, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha declared a 15-hour relaxation to enable locals to stock food and essential commodities.
The relaxation, from 0300 pm onwards today, was announced by GJM President Bimal Gurung at a public meeting at Mal in Darjeeling town.
A GJM source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the relaxation period might be extended further as a crisis in food and essential commodities was already being felt in the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling district — Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.
If the bandh was resumed from tomorrow, the spontaneous support that the GJM enjoyed, might be affected, the source said.
A meeting of the GJM central committee would meet in the evening to evaluate the situation and take “practical decisions”, the source said.
Gurung, meanwhile, said that a memorandum had been faxed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opposing deployment of the CRPF in Darjeeling, “which will lead to panic” among the locals.
GJM General Secretary, Roshan Giri told PTI that his party had rejected the call of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to give up its demand for creation of a separate state of Gorkhland.
“Gorkhaland is our demand. There is no question of giving it up. We are open for talks provided Gorkhaland is on the agenda for discussion,” he said over telephone from Darjeeling.
Darjeeling District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey said around 10,000 tourists had departed from the hill station yesterday and only 100 to 150 visitors were left. Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police, North Bengal, K L Tamta said the six companies of CRPF to be deployed in the hills, were yet to arrive at Siliguri.
He said even though the GJM supporters blocked the road to Assam passing through the Dooars region for two hours before dispersing, the situation was peaceful, .
Sikkim continued to remain cut off for the second consecutive day, with GJM supporters picketting the National Highway 31A, the sole link between Gangtok and the rest of the country, Tamta said. PTI UBR PC VU 06111736 DEL (Beacononline)

GJM crumbles on popular pressure calls off Indefinite strike until Saturday evening

2008-06-11T19:42:00.000+05:30

BREAKING STORY!
Darjeeling: After a marathon meeting, the Central Committee of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to call off the Indefinite Strike starting today 6pm until Saturday 6 pm. The decision was taken over mounting pressure from people and citizen’s group requesting Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leadership to allow people to prepare themselves for the long strikes and shut downs. Hotel Owners have lamented that if the Strike was to be as suddenly called off as it was called for, why had the tourists been forced to leave the hills. There were no clarifications from the leadership. However, Bimal Gurung, GJM President lamented on the hardship the Tourists had to suffer.lamented on the hardship the Tourists had to suffer. (Becon online)

Darjeeling Bandh

2008-06-11T16:17:00.001+05:30

Bishal "Kirat" Rai:

I understand and do agree that most of the people from Darjeeling Hill live by daily earnings and it would be really hard time for them to face these Strikes. Darjeeling totally depends on tourism and telling the tourist to leave Darjeeling for upcoming indefinite strikes would sound some more difficult.

GJM has always tried to bond the Gorkha people all around world. GJM’s main motive to unite the Gorkha people and safeguard their interest where they are in minority. There are lots of Gorkha people in Naxalbari, wherein they have been socially, politically, educationally, boycotted.

GJM took the initiative to unite them and thought of making them socially, politically, educationally conscious.

GJM took several initiatives to hold a “Workshop” in Naxalbari. However, the permission was denied by the West Bengal Government ruled by CPI (M), who is totally against the up-liftment of Gorkhali community.

There are several evidences that GJM had requested for permission which was denied several times – The reason for denial is – “Security Concerns”

Two words - Security Concerns

How can Gorkhali people say that they are safe in West Bengal when they cant provide security to mere 1,000 people when they want to hold a workshop for social awareness.
Quite amazing we are in West Bengal.

Now coming to the point again :

As GJM had requested for the permission to hold Workshop on Gorkhaland. The permission was denied.

The only alternative was Dharna (bhok hartal) in non-violent way. No, one was accused, it was just a bhok hartal.

Now, these people where on Bhok Hartal were physically assaulted, man handled, attacked with latthis, stones and were the victim of abusive languages.
These people on Dharna (Bhok Hartal) were attacked by the so called NGO grouped backed by CPI(M) and local administration.

Now …The only democratic (non violent) way left in the hands of GJM was Strike.

NB : the only way to protest in a non-violent way in INDIA is Strike.

Tourist in Darjeeling and Sikkim were given enough time (36 hours) to leave Darjeeling so that they do not face any inconvenience. Tourists were explained the cause of the Strike and the people of Darjeeling requested these tourists to visit Darjeeling again. Some of the tourists were interviewed and they expressed that they would prefer to come Darjeeling again. These tourists were not at all harassed by the people of Darjeeling.

Most of the tourist understood the need of Gorkhaland. Some, of them even took part in meetings organized by the people of Darjeeling.

Just because of this legitimate Strike – All the leading News Papers and News Channels (National and International) have reported about Darjeeling’s demand Gorkhaland.

The News Channels that reported about Gorkhaland in India are as follows :

Aaj Tak – Leading News Channel.
IBN 7
India TV
Times Now
NDTV
Zee News
News 24
BBC World

To name few News Papers that covered the demand of Gorkhaland after this strike are :

Hindustan Times (Delhi, West Bengal, Chennai, Mumbai)
Hindustan– Hindi (Delhi, West Bengal, Chennai, Mumbai)
Times of India (Delhi, West Bengal, Chennai, Mumbai)
The Telegraph – West Bengal
Metro Now – Delhi
The Statesmen – West Bengal
The Pioneer - (Delhi, West Bengal, Chennai, Mumbai)
Punjab Kesari – Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh
The Hindu -(Delhi, West Bengal, Chennai, Mumbai)
Indian Express (Delhi, West Bengal, Chennai, Mumbai)
Mail Today - Delhi
Jan Satta – Delhi
Nav Bharat Times –Delhi
Dainik Jagaran – Delhi
Deccan Chronicle - (Delhi, West Bengal, Chennai, Mumbai)
Anand Bazar Partika - (Delhi, West Bengal)
Amar Ujjala – Delhi
Dainik Bhaskar – Delhi

This speaks a small Success Story to begin with.

This News has brought attention to the Movement and from this that we must carry on forward.

Gorkhaland movement in its present avatar is different from the earlier one. There are lots of intellectuals involved in the movement.

The difference people find between Subash Ghising and Bimal Gurung is :

Subash Ghising never wanted intellectuals to be a part of his movement. However, Bimal Gurung is opposite. He wants all the intellectuals to be part of his movement.

Bimal Gurung is the one and only person who initiated second Phase for Gorkhaland
Bimal Gurung is the only person who braved to go against all the odds.
Bimal Gurung is the only person who risked his Life to Challenge the so called undisputed leader of the Hills
Bimal Gurung is the One who unified a Dispersed Diaspora of Dreamers and Lovers of Gorkhaland.

Bimal Gurung is the One who Inspires people of all walks of life to join this Movement; he is the One who bears the brunt of all misgivings.

Today he qualifies to stand tall to lead the people for achieving Gorkhaland and we should (though I would prefer to use the word ‘must’ here) support him. Right from the day he declared this movement, he has said that he does not aspire to seek to occupy a ‘Chair’ - let us believe him at least for now as the ‘Chair’ is far away at this present juncture.

Let’s support the one and only solution of Darjeeling - GORKHALAND.

Furthermore, I would request to every one to educate the people and the Media with the necessity of Gorkhaland wherever it may be – be it in India or abroad.

The legitimate need of Gorkhaland needs your support and publicity and it is first our responsibility to educate our fellow citizens about this - so please write about the necessity of the Creation of Gorkhaland.

This could be one of the greatest ways in which you could make your contribution.
So Gorkhas Go Ahead - Pen is Mightier than the Sword.
Jai Gorkha. Jai Gorkhaland. Jai Hind.

DARJEELING BANDH: HIMALAYA DARPAN

2008-06-11T09:50:00.002+05:30

DARJEELING BANDH: HIMALAYA DARPAN

2008-06-11T09:47:00.001+05:30

Gurkha strike for separate state halts life, tourist trade in eastern India

2008-06-11T09:02:00.000+05:30

Tens of thousands of tourists were stranded in the tea-growing region of eastern India on Tuesday after a Gurkha separatist group called a strike to press its demand for an independent state, shutting down hotels, shops and roads.
The Gurkha Janamukti Morcha wants a state for ethnic Gurkhas in the hill areas around Darjeeling in West Bengal state.
Advertisement All shops and businesses were closed Tuesday in Darjeeling and nearby towns, an area famous for its tea and cool climate, a strong draw in India's scorching summer. Roughly 40,000 tourists were rushing to leave the area after the Gurkha group asked them to go home as soon as possible, said Raj Kanojia, a senior state police official.
The newly formed separatist group's general secretary, Roshan Giri, said it would help with travel arrangements, but prospects appeared difficult with all public transport staying off the roads.
“We are stuck here with our kids,” said Sanjay Singh, an Indian tourist on vacation with his family. “We want to get out earliest but there is no transport.”
There was no reported violence, said Raj Kanojia, a senior state police official.
Giri said the strike would continue until the government “accepts our demand for a separate state.”
The state government dismissed the group's wishes.
“A separate state is out of the question,” said state minister Asok Bhattcharya. “They need to settle down and agree to discuss and negotiate.”
Gurkhas are an ethnic group in northern India and Nepal who are famed for their fighting prowess and bravery. They began serving as soldiers loyal to Britain in 1815 in India. When India gained independence from Britain in 1947, they became part of the British army and have received accolades for fighting around the world.
The Gurkhas, under a separate group, the Gurkha National Liberation Front, fought for an independent state in the 1980s and were granted some autonomy, which allows them control over local village councils and sales taxes. But key areas such as finance and security remain controlled by the West Bengal state government.
Leaders of the Gurkha Janamukti Morcha said those concessions were not enough.
“We will not settle for anything less than a separate state this time,” said Bimal Gurung, the group's president. (signonSandiego)

First hints of bandh withdrawal

2008-06-11T08:59:00.001+05:30

Statesman News Service KURSEONG, June 10: Having brought life to a standstill in the Darjeeling hills, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha organised a public meeting at Kurseong today. The first indication of a relaxation in the bandh soon, also came today. Addressing the meeting, the GJMM chief, Mr Bimal Gurung urged the people of the hills to have patience for the greater cause of Gorkhaland. He also assured to fetch the Gorkhaland state by 10 March, 2010. Cautioning party supporters against individual political ambition Mr Gurung said that the movement launched by the GJMM is the last battle and “ we shall achieve our target by hook or by crook.”Stating that the party would relax the bandh sometime soon to minimise the inconvenience of the people, the GJMM president said: “The GJMM is against communal tension between Bengalis and the Nepalis.Our fight is for our land and the Bengali community living in the plains should understand this. Our fight is not against the Bengalis, it is against the state government.”Social activist Ms Medha Patkar, who was supposed to attend the rally, could not reach Kurseong today.

Thousands of tourists hit by Darjeeling unrest

2008-06-11T08:55:00.000+05:30

By Andrew Buncombe in DelhiWednesday, 11 June 2008
Tens of thousands of tourists were left stranded in India's main tea-growing region yesterday as ethnic Gurkhas demanding their own state announced an indefinite general strike and closed down the entire area.
All shops and businesses were shut in Darjeeling, one of the main hill stations in the area, and up to 40,000 holidaymakers were struggling to find a way home after the leaders of a Gurkha political movement asked them to leave immediately.
The Gurkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) wants to break away from the state of West Bengal and establish a state for Gurkhas, similar to neighbouring Sikkim, which would be called Gurkhaland.
The group claims the state government in Calcutta has done nothing to help the "hill people" and that only by dealing directly with federal authorities in Delhi will the situation improve. "We will not settle for anything less than a separate state this time," said the BJM president, Bimal Gurung.
Tourism is a vital source of income for the breathtakingly scenic but economically depressed area. In recent years, local authorities have been promoting "tea tourism" to lure foreigners and Indian visitors to visit and stay in upmarket hotels on tea estates.
The Gurkhas, an ethnic group from north-eastern India and Nepal, are renowned for their fighting skills. Since 1815, they have served as soldiers in the British Army.
The campaign for an independent Gurkha state gathered pace in the 1980s when 1,200 people died in violence surrounding the breakaway effort and the subsequent suppression by state authorities. Peace was eventually secured by the creation of the Darjeeling Gurkha Hill Council, a body which was supposed to provide a degree of autonomous rule for the Gurkhas. But in the 20 years since the creation of the DGHC, many people have apparently become dissatisfied with the Gurkha politicians involved, particularly Subash Ghisingh, who led the Gurkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).
Last year, the newly-created BJM – a breakaway from the GNLF – drew publicity during the television talent show Indian Idol when a Delhi radio presenter described the ethnic Nepali winner as a chowkidar or caretaker, a term of abuse for people from north-east India. While the station subsequently apologised, Mr Gurung seized on the moment and made it a rallying cry for his party, whose popularity soared.
Yesterday, thousands of Mr Gurung's supporters took to the streets, waving his party's green, white and yellow flag and chanting: "We want Gurkhaland." No violence was reported.
Dr Rajat Ganguly, an expert on Gurkha nationalism at Australia's Murdoch University, said there was a lot of history behind the strike. "People [in the area] feel as though the GNLF has become co-opted by the West Bengal government," he said. "Over the last 20 years there has been no accountability. The BJM has tapped into that frustration. What has surprised me is the timing of this strike. This is happening right in the middle of the tourist season and yet they are telling people to pack up and leave ... when they need every dollar."
State authorities in Calcutta ruled out full autonomy for the Gurkhas. "A separate state is out of the question," said Asok Bhattcharya, State minister.
The tea capital
Darjeeling, the former summer capital of British India, has exploited its reputation as the home of Indian tea to attract the tourist trade. Tourists explore tea estates and enjoy tea tasting sessions in the verdant hills. A Himalayan "toy train" provides breathtaking views as it runs along a narrow track between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. The area is also a trekking centre. Historically, Darjeeling was the summer capital until 1911, when the capital was moved to Delhi from Calcutta. During the Second World War, the hill resort was used as a convalescence centre for British and American soldiers because of the cool weather in summer. (The Independent)

Darjeeling on the boil, again, CM hardens his stand

2008-06-11T08:51:00.000+05:30

Kolkata, June 10 Hundreds of tourists were trying to head out of Darjeeling in West Bengal as the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), which is demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland, enforced an indefinite bandh, shutting down the hills and leaving an estimated 10,000 plus stranded in the plains. Sikkim was also cut off with GJM supporters blocking the arterial National Highway 31A.
Violence was reported from neighbouring Jalpaiguri district and at least 350 people were arrested. Authorities said a special train would ply from New Jalpaiguri railway station to Howrah tonight. Darjeeling District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey said most tourists began leaving Darjeeling yesterday. Transport was off the roads in the hills.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said the GJM must give up its demand for Gorkhaland. “Tripartite or bipartite talks are possible only if they give up their demand for a separate state. Until then no talks are possible,” he told reporters in Kolkata.
Bhattacharjee said he had suggested more autonomy with administrative and financial powers for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council during his recent talks with the GJM. The council manages the administration in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong hill sub-divisions.
“Barring the statehood demand, we are prepared to discuss with them any other issue,” he said. A majority of people in Dooars, Terai and Siliguri — which the GJM has demanded be included in Gorkhaland — are opposed to the statehood demand, he said.
At Kalchini, about 60 agitators attacked a police jeep and assaulted the driver. They also blocked roads at Kalchini, Odlabari, Birpara and Nagrakata. Police cleared road blocks at Birpara. GJM general secretary Roshan Giri claimed that CPM activists beat up party supporters at Birpara and Kalchini, ransacked a GJM office and set afire some motorcycles.
Tourists felt the brunt of the latest GJM showdown with the state. Despite earlier assurances by GJM leaders that they would be “completely safe” in the hills, tourists were running from pillar to post, desperate to leave Darjeeling.
An estimated 40,000 tourists were present in Darjeeling and Sikkim on Monday, the numbers high as this is the last week of summer vacations in most schools and colleges.
In Darjeeling, tourists have been on the move since last night. Taxi drivers who usually charge Rs 1500-2000 for a trip to Siliguri were demanding up to Rs 6,000.
“We have to charge double as once we reach Siliguri, we won’t get passengers on the way back. We are doing good business on the Siliguri-Kolkata sector. This morning, we sold 50 bus tickets for Kolkata,” said Pradeep Saha of Hill Queen Tours in Siliguri.
Police assisted tourists in reaching Siliguri where hotels ran out of rooms quickly.
“We refused at least 100 walk-in guests. People checked in at odd hours of the night,” said Vikash Kothari, Regional Director, Sinclairs Group. Authorities at Mainak Hotel faced the same problem.
Many tourists had to spend the night at the bus terminus or the railway station.
The Sikkim Tourism Department arranged for transfer of tourists to Siliguri in Army vehicles.
“Tourist vehicles are not being allowed beyond Melli. The Sikkim Tourism Department is trying to negotiate with GJM activists to lift the picketing at Melli. But I don’t think vehicles will be allowed to cross Melli for another 24 hours,” said Gyamsko Bhutia, Tourist Officer of the Sikkim government.
Tour operators in Kolkata also took a hit as many cancelled plans to visit the hills. Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee said: “Many people in Darjeeling and Sikkim survive on tourism. This kind of an indefinite strike will result in heavy losses. The West Bengal government has arranged for additional trains and buses for stranded tourists.”
About ten companies of the central security forces were rushed to Darjeeling today.
Six of these would be deployed in the hills and four in the foothills in Siliguri and other sensitive areas of the plains,accoriding to a senior police official.
The state home secretary, A.M.Chakrabarty when contacted said that the state had asked for adequate central forces in view of the recent developments. (Expressindia)

GJM rejects Buddhadeb’s condition

2008-06-11T08:50:00.000+05:30

“Our demand for a separate state should be the sole issue in future discussions”
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here on Tuesday that talks could be held with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leadership only if it dropped its demand for a separate state.
The GJM was demanding a state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of the Darjeeling hills and certain areas contiguous to it.
An indefinite bandh in the region called by the party to highlight the demand brought normal life to a virtual standstill in the hills resulting in an exodus of tourists from there. There were also reports of stray incidents of violence in some parts of the Dooars where the bandh was observed.
“We are prepared for discussions — whether they be tripartite or bipartite — but only if they drop the demand for a separate state and I repeat my appeal to the GJM leaders to do so,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.Bandh to continue
The GJM leadership rejected the condition and said the bandh that had first been called for a day on Monday but subsequently extended indefinitely would continue.
“Our demand for a separate state should be the sole issue in future discussions with the Centre and the State Government,” Roshan Giri, GJM general secretary, told The Hindu over telephone from the Darjeeling hills.
The demand was “unacceptable” and could not be entertained, Biman Bose, chairman of the Left Front committee and Secretary of the West Bengal Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said.
The Chief Minister expressed concern over developments in the hills in the wake of the bandh call. “What is happening there at this moment should not go on…Besides government offices becoming non-functional, tourists — both domestic and foreign — are being greatly inconvenienced and we are doing our utmost to bring them down from the hills,” he said.
The GJM leadership had on Monday asked all tourists in the hills to leave within two days following the bandh call.Tea gardens
Mr. Bhattacharjee regretted that there were threats of closing down tea gardens. “Work in the tea gardens could be affected at a time when the season for plucking of leaves takes place,” he said.
The State government had also contacted the Centre and informed it of the developments in the hills after receiving a message from the Sikkim Government urging for action as the roads leading to that State were closed to traffic by bandh supporters. These roads pass through the Darjeeling hills.
Mr. Bhattacharjee said that at a previous meeting with GJM leaders he had assured them that his government was willing to grant greater administrative and financial powers to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). It was also pointed out to them then that their plans to include Siliguri, Terai and the Dooars within the ambit of their agitation could not be supported as that went against the wishes of a majority of people in these areas.
“The GJM leaders were told that there is no reason why the people of the hills and the plains should not co-exist as they have been doing so all along for the sake of peace and development in the region,” the Chief Minister said. (The Hindu)

Gorkha supporters attack tourist bus near Darjeeling

2008-06-11T08:48:00.000+05:30

SILIGURI/DARJEELING: In the hills, a total shutdown. In the plains, complete chaos. And in the Dooars, an area just below Darjeeling Hills, widespread violence. By Tuesday evening, there was more grim news — the first attack on tourists. Gorkha Janamukti Morcha supporters, demanding a separate state be carved out of West Bengal for Nepali-speakers, stopped a bus of tourists being evacuated from Darjeeling at Kalijhora and pelted them with stones. The attack came within 24 hours of GJM's diktat to visitors to get out of Darjeeling. Clashes also broke out in regions bordering Bhutan as those opposed to the sudden shutdown took on GJM supporters bent on enforcing the indefinite bandh. A GJM party office was attacked in Birpara and supporters beaten up. GJM men at the receiving end in Hamiltongunj too. In retaliation, Gorkhaland supporters carried out attacks on anti-bandh activists at Kalchini (in the Dooars) and Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri. With the situation spiralling out of control, the Darjeeling administration sent an SOS to the state government for paramilitary forces. The government, however, is giving the GJM a long rope. Chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb said, "The government prefers to wait and watch." He scotched speculation that the state was calling in the army. Caught in the turmoil, thousands of tourists clambered on whatever vehicle they could find and reached Siliguri exhausted and bleary-eyed. Hundreds more are still stranded in Darjeeling and Sikkim. Efforts are being made to bring them to Siliguri. The state government arranged for a special train (that left Siliguri late Tuesday night) and 15 buses to ferry the stranded to Kolkata. The Darjeeling district administration claimed to have evacuated 90% of the tourists. Even in Siliguri, the tourists have little respite. The town that serves as little more than a look-by for tourists en route to Darjeeling collapsed under the pressure. Hotels were overbooked and people were stranded at New Jalpaiguri railway station and the bus stand. Even the normally sleepy Bagodgra airport saw massive queues. The situation turned grim in the Dooars in the morning when 2,000 GJM supporters blocked NH-31 at Birpara. Police used batons to break them up. Anti-bandh supporters then stormed a GJM party office and set it on fire. GJM supporters went berserk after the attack and ransacked several houses. At Hamiltongunj near Hasimara, the two groups clashed again, leaving a policeman among those injured. In Kalchini, shopkeepers refused to pull down their shutters when a group of bandh-enforcers told them to. The altercation turned into a pitched battle. The pattern was repeated in some other areas including Salughara. There was a total bandh in all three sub-divisions — Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. Even tea gardens were closed (here the bandh is for two days). So were banks, college, schools, offices. Hotels empty. The only vehicles that moved were those ferrying panic-stricken tourists to Siliguri. Even trains were stopped in the early part of the day. Any hope of a quick resolution faded on Tuesday. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said talks would be held only if GJM set aside its demand for a separate state. "Whatever is going on there should not continue. When they (GJM representatives) came to meet me I told them that I was all for granting greater autonomy to Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. I am willing to increase DGHC's financial and administrative powers, but not a separate state." (Times Of India)

Indefinite bandh in Darjeeling

2008-06-10T18:20:00.001+05:30

THE SITUATION in the hills of Darjeeling is turning serious, bringing back memories of the tumultuous period over two decades ago when the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland was raised for the first time. The Gorkha Mukti Morcha, which has revived the demand for a separate state, has called for an indefinite bandh in the hills as of June 10 (Tuesday). Tourists have been asked to leave by today evening even as the state minister for urban development Asok Bhattacharya went on record saying he suspected the involvement of a foreign hand in the restlessness in the hills.
The bandh, which was called for a day on June 9 (Monday) and had kept transport and tea gardens out of its purview, was extended to an indefinite one later.
Fresh tension was triggered off after a clash between Morcha activists and members of two NGO's Jana Jagaran and Jana Chetana in Bihar More on National Highway-31 in the outskirts of the foothill town of Siliguri on Sunday, prompting the Morcha to call a bandh and then extend it to an indefinite one. Contrary to earlier assurances that tourists would be kept out of the purview of the bandh, Morcha president Bimal Gurung asked tourists to leave the hills. According to media reports, there are about10, 000 tourists in the hills with the summer vacations on. Darjeeling and the hill sub divisions of Kurseong and Kalimpong depend on a great extent on the revenue generated by tourism with hundreds of hotels dotting the picturesque places. The bandh, especially in summer, will deal a crippling blow to tourism and many who depend on tourists for their earnings in the hills.
The minister said in Kolkata on Monday that the Morcha was trying to create a situation akin to what had been done in Assam. Bhattacharya who is a legislator from the Siliguri constituency reiterated the Left Front government's rejection of the demand for a separate state.
The clash on June 8 (Sunday) has raised fears that the situation could spin out of control and become a hills-plains conflict with ethnic overtones. On Sunday at around 9.30am about 50-odd Morcha supporters blocked National Highway-31 protesting against the decision of the administration not to allow meetings in Naxalbari. The blockade on the busy road lined with shops and establishments inconvenienced people and after a couple of hours, traders asked the Morcha activists to leave.
Soon after 25 members of an NGO called Jana Chetana arrived and began shouting anti Gorkhaland and anti Morcha slogans. A police contingent keeping an eye on the blockade dispersed the Jana Chetana members. They however, reappeared in greater numbers and clashed with Morcha activists. The police resorted to firing tear gas and lathi charged the crowd. Sixteen people were injured.
At about the same time in Naxalbari, members of another NGO called Jana Jagaran clashed with Morcha activists who were into an indefinite hunger strike. Section 144 of the CrPc was imposed in the area. Later violence spread to other areas like Bagdogra and Panighatta.
That the trouble brewing in Darjeeling is worrying the Centre was evident during the weekend, when the information and broadcasting minister, Priya Ranjan Dasmnshi said in Kolkata that the Centre wanted the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to work towards a consensus on steps needed to resolve the Darjeeling issue. Dasmunhsi indicated that the Centre was not ready to start a dialogue with the Morcha at this juncture but would want the state government to come up with a solution after consulting all the political parties. The minister said more autonomy and additional powers could be given to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution while maintaining the territorial integrity of the state of West Bengal. Dasmunshi is expected to meet the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and brief him on the situation in Darjeeling. (merinews)

Thousands of tourists stranded in "tea country" by ethnic protests

2008-06-10T18:16:00.000+05:30

Darjeeling and other districts of western Bengal are paralyzed by a strike of the ethnic Gorkha party. They are asking for the creation of an independent state, and are accusing the ruling Marxists of aggression. There are not even enough vehicles available to take tourists to the airport.
New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Thousands of tourists have been stranded by the sudden strike that has paralysed "tea country": the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong in the northern part of western Bengal. The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) party says that the protest is in response to the aggression committed against some of its members by supporters of the ruling Marxist party.
About 50 supporters of the GJM were occupying a highway leading to Darjeeling, in protest over the ban against holding a public meeting in Naxalbari, when they were allegedly attacked "without provocation". The GJM also denounces other acts of aggression, while the communists deny any involvement.
Roshan Giri, secretary of the GJM, explains that "we are forced to call this indefinite strike because we have lost all faith in the West Bengal government", which he accuses of "stopping us from holding rallies peacefully, they are trying to provoke an ugly situation". The GJM is asking for a separate state for the Gorkha ethnicity, and says the strike will continue until it obtains one. The Gorkhas, of Nepalese origin and language, are in the majority in Darjeeling, but are a minority in the state compared to the Bengalese and Hindi.
The sudden strike has stranded thousands of tourists in the three districts, left without enough vehicles to take them to the airport. Darjeeling, famous for its tea and for its natural beauty, is a common destination for foreign tourists.
During the 1980's, the demands of the Gorkhas erupted into guerrilla warfare, but in the end they settled for greater administrative autonomy. But in 2007, the GJM was formed, and resumed demands for independence. Also in 2007, violent ethnic protests led to the imposition of a curfew. (Asianews)

Gurkha strike for separate state halts life, tourist trade in eastern India

2008-06-10T18:14:00.000+05:30

Tens of thousands of tourists were stranded in the tea-growing region of eastern India on Tuesday after a Gurkha separatist group called a strike to press its demand for an independent state, shutting down hotels, shops and roads.
The Gurkha Janamukti Morcha wants a state for ethnic Gurkhas in the hill areas around Darjeeling in West Bengal state.
All shops and businesses were closed Tuesday in Darjeeling and nearby towns, an area famous for its tea and cool climate, a strong draw in India's scorching summer. Roughly 40,000 tourists were rushing to leave the area after the Gurkha group asked them to go home as soon as possible, said Raj Kanojia, a senior state police official.
The newly formed separatist group's general secretary, Roshan Giri, said it would help with travel arrangements, but prospects appeared difficult with all public transport staying off the roads.
"We are stuck here with our kids," said Sanjay Singh, an Indian tourist on vacation with his family. "We want to get out earliest but there is no transport."
There was no reported violence, said Raj Kanojia, a senior state police official.
Giri said the strike would continue until the government "accepts our demand for a separate state."
The state government dismissed the group's wishes.
"A separate state is out of the question," said state minister Asok Bhattcharya. "They need to settle down and agree to discuss and negotiate."
Gurkhas are an ethnic group in northern India and Nepal who are famed for their fighting prowess and bravery. They began serving as soldiers loyal to Britain in 1815 in India. When India gained independence from Britain in 1947, they became part of the British army and have received accolades for fighting around the world.
The Gurkhas, under a separate group, the Gurkha National Liberation Front, fought for an independent state in the 1980s and were granted some autonomy, which allows them control over local village councils and sales taxes. But key areas such as finance and security remain controlled by the West Bengal state government.
Leaders of the Gurkha Janamukti Morcha said those concessions were not enough.
"We will not settle for anything less than a separate state this time," said Bimal Gurung, the group's president. (International Herald tribune)

Tourists leave Darjeeling due to strike, GJM supporters arrested

2008-06-10T18:07:00.002+05:30

Photos by Barun (beacononline)

SILIGURI: The indefinite bandh called in Darjeeling hills by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) led to an exodus of tourists on Tuesday and leaving over 10,000 stranded in the plains. Stray violence was reported from neighbouring Jalpaiguri district and at least 350 people were arrested. The GJM had called for the bandh to press their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. Authorities said a special train will ply from New Jalpaiguri railway station to Howrah on Tuesday night. Darjeeling District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey said most tourists started leaving Darjeeling on Monday. Transport was off the roads in the hills. The shutdown also cut off Sikkim with GJM supporters blocking the arterial national highway 31A. Over 350 GJM supporters were arrested from different parts of Jalpaiguri district after clashes with local people and police. Many were injured when a 1,000-strong mob blocked the road at Nagrakata and forcibly downed shutters of shops. (times Of India)

Shutdown for Gorkhaland cripples life in Darjeeling

2008-06-10T17:57:00.001+05:30

(Photos: By Barun: darjeeling on 11th June (himalayanbeacononline)

Life came to a standstill in West Bengal's hill district of Darjeeling with a shutdown from Tuesday morning called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) demanding a separate Gorkhaland state for the region.
According to reports, the shutdown received a good response as all shops, markets and business establishments remained closed.
“The indefinite shutdown is continuing in the hills but there are no reports of any major untoward incident so far,” West Bengal Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told IANS.
All three sub-divisions, Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, and some areas of Dooars observed the shutdown.
Kanojia said there were some local agitations at Birpara in Dooars.
The GJM called a 24-hour shutdown on Monday to protest an alleged attack on its members by supporters of the state's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and members of other political outfits at Naxalbari when they were taking out a peaceful rally there on Sunday.
An exodus of tourists also began from the Queen of Hills as the new shutdown took effect from Tuesday morning. Over a thousand tourists were halted near the Teesta Bridge in northern West Bengal while returning from Sikkim.
“We are stuck here with our kids and family. We want to get out of this trouble but there is no adequate transport available. We want to request the state administration to make necessary arrangements for the tourists who are facing harrowing time here due to the strike,” said Supriyo Dey, a tourist in Darjeeling.
Police sources said thousands of GJM supporters staged a demonstration in front of the Birpara police station in Dooars.
The GJM, led by its president Bimal Gurung, has been spearheading a movement in the hills for a separate state and also opposing the 'Sixth Schedule' status for Darjeeling district.
The central government in 2005 conferred the Sixth Schedule status on the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF)-led Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) that ensures greater autonomy to the governing body.
But Gurung's group, which is opposed to the GNLF, is demanding full statehood for the hill region.
The DGHC was formed in 1988 through an agreement between the central and state governments and the GNLF after the hills witnessed violence for about two years. (Hindustan Times)

Buddhadeb Rejects Separate Gorkhaland Demand

2008-06-10T17:56:00.000+05:30

Maintaining that Darjeeling was an integral part of West Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Tuesday rejected the demand for carving the hill district out as a separate Gorkhaland state.He said the issue can be solved through talks if Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) activists stayed away from the shutdown in the hill district that began Tuesday morning.'We can offer better financial assistance and administrative control to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). But we can't accept their demand for a separate Gorkhaland state in the region,' Bhattacharjee told reporters here.'It's not at all desirable if the shutdown continues in the hills. The West Bengal government is ready to discuss the issue with the GJM supporters,' he added. 'Last time GJM representatives came to discuss the issue, I urged them to withdraw their demand. But they went back. I already had a dialogue with Delhi regarding the ongoing agitation there.'He said that Darjeeling is an integral part of West Bengal and people, both from the hills and the plains, had an enriching experience of living together for several years.Bhattacharjee said the government offices were closed and all administrative activities had come to a halt due to the shutdown in three sub-divisions - Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.'Tourists, including several foreigners, are facing a harrowing time there due to the indefinite shutdown. We are trying our best to send them back to their respective destinations,' he said.Darjeeling was the summer capital of British India till 1911, when the capital was shifted to Delhi from Kolkata.The verdant hills and the Himalayan toy train service are prime attraction for tourists across the world who flock to the region during summers.The GJM called for an indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling from Tuesday demanding a separate Gorkhaland state.The GJM, led by its president Bimal Gurung, has been spearheading a movement in the hills for a separate state and also opposing the Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling district.The central government in 2005 conferred the Sixth Schedule status on the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF)-led DGHC that ensures greater autonomy to the governing body.The DGHC was formed in 1988 through an agreement between the central and state governments and the GNLF after the hills witnessed violence for about two years.'We demand a separate state to get a clear identity for the Darjeeling district. There is no development in the region. We have no university and medical college in Darjeeling and most of our youths are also unemployed here,' GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said.Giri said the state government should respect the views of common people living in the hills.(News Post India)

Indefinite strike cripples Darjeeling, tourist exodus begins

2008-06-10T14:43:00.001+05:30

Kolkata/Darjeeling: An indefinite Darjeeling bandh for a separate Gorkhaland state called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) began on Tuesday, commencing a season of woes for the people living on tourism as holidaymakers leave the hill station in thousands.
An exodus of tourists, estimated to be around 40,000, began from the Queen of Hills as the GJM called shutdown took effect.
"We are stuck here with kids. We want to get out earliest but there is no transport," said a tourist from Darjeeling.
Even hoteliers have asked the tourists to leave as early as possible.
The green, white and yellow flags of GJM fly from homes, shops and cars as the supporters of the party thronged the streets with slogans in support of Gorkhaland.
The agitation followed an alleged attack on GJM members by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supporters and members of other political outfits at Naxalbari in the plains on Sunday.
"The shutdown has been peaceful so," a senior West Bengal police official said in the morning.
"We called the indefinite shutdown in three sub-divisions - Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong - demanding a separate Gorkhaland state. Several tourists also started leaving Darjeeling district after they came to know about the strike," said GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.
The central government in 2005 conferred the Sixth Schedule status on the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF)-led Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) that ensures greater autonomy to the governing body.
But Gurung's group, which is opposed to the GNLF, is demanding full statehood for the hill region. The DGHC was formed in 1988 through an agreement between the central and state governments and the GNLF after the hills witnessed violence for about two years.
Darjeeling was the summer capital of British India till 1911, when the rulers shifted India's capital to Delhi from Calcutta. The verdant hills and the Himalayan toy train service are prime attraction for tourists across the world who flock to the region during summer.
"We will not settle for anything less than a separate state this time," GJM president Bimal Gurung said. "We don't want to cause any inconvenience to the tourists. We are evacuating them within a deadline to begin an indefinite agitation in the hills for a separate state," said Gurung.
The communist government in West Bengal said the demands of the GJM are "out of touch with reality."
But the indefinite strike is resented by the tourism industry people. Anil Punjabi, who runs a travel company and heads the eastern unit of Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI), said: "Darjeeling is an evergreen sector and the holiday season is still not over. We lose at least 20 percent of our business because of the strike," he said.

Tourists stranded by India strike

2008-06-10T14:34:00.000+05:30

By Subir Bhaumik BBC News, Calcutta
An indefinite strike called by a regional political party in India's tea-producing Darjeeling area has left thousands of tourists stranded.
The protest has paralysed life in all the three districts of the region.
On Monday, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) held a protest alleging attack on their supporters by activists of the state's ruling Marxists on Sunday.
The communists have denied the charge. Darjeeling is in the north of the eastern state of West Bengal.
The region is home to hundreds of tea gardens and produces Darjeeling tea which is coveted for its flavour.
The Gorkhas fought for a separate state through the 1980s but they later settled for regional autonomy.
The recently-formed Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has revived the struggle for a separate state.
All three districts in the region - Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong - are affected by the strike call.
'Lost faith'
"We have asked all tourists to leave immediately," said GJM secretary Roshan Giri.
"We are forced to call this indefinite strike because we have lost all faith in the West Bengal government," he said.
"They are stopping us from holding rallies peacefully, they are trying to provoke an ugly situation. So we will continue this strike until we achieve a separate state for Gorkhas," he said.
The strike has left tens of thousands of tourists stranded in the three hill districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.
"There's not enough vehicles to take all of them down to the plains within a day," said Darjeeling Hotel Association chief Sangay Bhutia.
On Monday, the GJM held a strike in the region to protest against Sunday's attack on their supporters allegedly by the workers of West Bengal's ruling Marxists.
'Unprovoked'
The GJM supporters were blocking a national highway leading to Darjeeling when they came under attack, Mr Giri said.
"The attack was unprovoked," he added.
The foothills are dominated by Bengali and Hindi speakers, while the Darjeeling hills are dominated by Nepali-speaking Gorkhas.
The Marxists denied they had any part in the attack.
The Gorkhas fought for a separate state under the leadership of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) in the 1980s.
Between February and March 1988, the GNLF shut down the hill region for 40 days in one go.
But the GNLF leader Subhash Ghising later settled for regional autonomy.
Late last year, a large group of the Gorkhas, led by his former lieutenant Bimal Gurung, split from him and formed the GJM to renew the struggle for a separate state. (BBC)

NEWS IN HIMALAYA DARPAN: Gorkhaland

2008-06-10T12:26:00.005+05:30

This time, violence could spread to plains

2008-06-10T12:23:00.000+05:30

At the peak of the Gorkhaland movement, Siliguri and the rest of north Bengal plains watched from a safe distance the gory battle in the Hills. Two decades later, with the Gorkhaland demand revived, these plains may no longer be bystanders.
For Gorkha Janamukti Morcha’s Bimal Gurung, the indefinite strike call is not just another showdown between GJM and the Left Front government. It is an opportunity to flex muscles in the plains, mobilize supporters as well as arm-twist the government.
The inclusion of Siliguri in the proposed Gorkhaland has only made the situation more tense, making Bengalis living in Siliguri insecure and even ready to fight back.
Insecurity-induced violence is almost imminent. Groups such as Jana Jagran Manch and Jana Chetana Manch have emerged in the plains to oppose GJM and have started targeting Nepali-speaking people.
At least 16 people were injured on Sunday at Bagdogra and Naxalbari. A backlash from Bimal Gurung and his henchmen is only a matter of time. So far none from GJM have spoken against Bengalis and there has been no attack on Bengalis in the Hills. Gorkha Janamukti Morcha has instead tried to go out of its way to appear friendly to Bengalis, bringing in some Bengali-speaking people for a rally near Siliguri on May 7. The flashpoint for the present turmoil was the administration’s (read CPM) refusal to give permission to GJM to hold a rally at Naxalbari. The CPI-ML (Liberation) and Left Front partner Forward Bloc both feel the administration was wrong in denying permission.
“It is a democratic party recognised by Election Commission. They should have been allowed to hold the rally. The way things are going it will take a turn for the worse,” said Smritish Bhattacharya, Forward Bloc district secretary. The Naxalite parties too want the dialogue to continue.
“Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee might have rejected Gorkhaland demand but the scope for dialogue still remains. We are all for a peaceful settlement of the issue. This could be in the form of another state or more autonomy,” said Abhijit Majumdar, CPI-ML (Liberation) state committee member. [The Times of India]

Indefinite bandh in Darjeeling

2008-06-10T12:08:00.002+05:30

The hills of Darjeeling are in ferment again after a brief lull. The Gorkha Mukti Morcha steadfast in its demand, for a separate state of Gorkhaland has called an indefinite bandh in the hill regions and has asked tourists to leave following a clash..
THE SITUATION in the hills of Darjeeling is turning serious, bringing back memories of the tumultuous period over two decades ago when the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland was raised for the first time. The Gorkha Mukti Morcha, which has revived the demand for a separate state, has called for an indefinite bandh in the hills as of June 10 (Tuesday). Tourists have been asked to leave by today evening even as the state minister for urban development Asok Bhattacharya went on record saying he suspected the involvement of a foreign hand in the restlessness in the hills.
The bandh, which was called for a day on June 9 (Monday) and had kept transport and tea gardens out of its purview, was extended to an indefinite one later.
Fresh tension was triggered off after a clash between Morcha activists and members of two NGO's Jana Jagaran and Jana Chetana in Bihar More on National Highway-31 in the outskirts of the foothill town of Siliguri on Sunday, prompting the Morcha to call a bandh and then extend it to an indefinite one. Contrary to earlier assurances that tourists would be kept out of the purview of the bandh, Morcha president Bimal Gurung asked tourists to leave the hills. According to media reports, there are about10, 000 tourists in the hills with the summer vacations on. Darjeeling and the hill sub divisions of Kurseong and Kalimpong depend on a great extent on the revenue generated by tourism with hundreds of hotels dotting the picturesque places. The bandh, especially in summer, will deal a crippling blow to tourism and many who depend on tourists for their earnings in the hills.
The minister said in Kolkata on Monday that the Morcha was trying to create a situation akin to what had been done in Assam. Bhattacharya who is a legislator from the Siliguri constituency reiterated the Left Front government's rejection of the demand for a separate state.
The clash on June 8 (Sunday) has raised fears that the situation could spin out of control and become a hills-plains conflict with ethnic overtones. On Sunday at around 9.30am about 50-odd Morcha supporters blocked National Highway-31 protesting against the decision of the administration not to allow meetings in Naxalbari. The blockade on the busy road lined with shops and establishments inconvenienced people and after a couple of hours, traders asked the Morcha activists to leave.
Soon after 25 members of an NGO called Jana Chetana arrived and began shouting anti Gorkhaland and anti Morcha slogans. A police contingent keeping an eye on the blockade dispersed the Jana Chetana members. They however, reappeared in greater numbers and clashed with Morcha activists. The police resorted to firing tear gas and lathi charged the crowd. Sixteen people were injured.
At about the same time in Naxalbari, members of another NGO called Jana Jagaran clashed with Morcha activists who were into an indefinite hunger strike. Section 144 of the CrPc was imposed in the area. Later violence spread to other areas like Bagdogra and Panighatta.
That the trouble brewing in Darjeeling is worrying the Centre was evident during the weekend,when the information and broadcasting minister, Priya Ranjan Dasmnshi the Centre wanted the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to work towards a consensus on steps needed to resolve the Darjeeling issue. Dasmunhsi indicated that the Centre was not ready to start a dialogue with the Morcha at this juncture but would want the state government to come up with a solution after consulting all the political parties. The minister said more autonomy and additional powers could be given to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution while maintaining the territorial integrity of the state of West Bengal. Dasmunshi is expected to meet the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and brief him on the situation in Darjeeling.

Darjeeling shuts down for Gorkhaland

2008-06-10T11:54:00.001+05:30

A hardline Gorkha group fighting for a separate state for the Nepali-speaking community ordered tourists out of Darjeeling on Monday, one day before an indefinite strike shuts down all roads and businesses in the hills, the Dooars, Terai and Siliguri. The move came despite assurances from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) that the movement would not disturb the tourism industry. The expulsion has forced more than 40,000 summer tourists, including women and children, onto the highways, at places in pouring rain, near Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong. They have until 6 am to leave the area. "From Tuesday, an indefinite strike will start in all areas under the proposed Gorkhaland. It will continue till the government accepts our demand for a separate state. Tourists in Darjeeling have been asked to evacuate as soon as possible," said GJM general secretary Roshan Giri. He alleged that CPM supporters had targeted Nepali-speaking people in the plains. "Nepali-speaking students were stopped from entering colleges by SFI and DYFI supporters. We will not tolerate this," Giri said. Schools, colleges, and business establishments will remain closed for an indefinite period. Only tea gardens were spared with a two-day shutdown. West Bengal urban development minister and Siliguri MLA Asok Bhattacharya reacted angrily. "The administration has taken all steps to ensure peace. I don't know what will happen in the hills, but our party will not allow anyone to paralyse the plains. Blackmail through hunger-strikes cannot be permitted." He blamed Gorkha leaders for provoking violence. "GJM chief Bimal Gurung is committing excesses. Why should there be any movement at Bagdogra and Naxalbari? These are not in the hills." CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has ruled out creation of a separate state but CPM is willing to discuss demands for autonomy.
In 1988, GNLF had shut down the hills for 40 days. It had tried to do the same in the Dooars but failed. This is the first time the separatist movement has threatened a shutdown in the entire region. GJM leaders have also warned about blocking railway tracks and roads, throwing into jeopardy all vehicular and freight movement to north Bengal and North-East. Three national highways - 31, 31A and 55 - pass through the region. The only supply route to the Darjeeling Hills is through Bagdogra, which GJM has threatened to block. Vinod Kumar Mishra came all the way from Uttar Pradesh for a three-day pre-paid stay in Darjeeling. "I wouldn't have come to this place had I known there would be so much trouble. Even the district administration has not given us any assurances," said Mishra before hurrying off to get a vehicle to take him to Siliguri. Rakesh Dwivedi from Kanpur, too, was upset. "This was my first trip to Darjeeling. It turned out to be a waste of time and money. We don't even know what the issue is." Many people were stranded on the highway with panicky cab drivers refusing passengers. "We were in Mirik when we heard the announcement. We had to head back to Darjeeling. The driver of the car we were in refused to take us to Siliguri, though we offered him extra money. Now we are looking for a vehicle that can take us down," said Sanjay Singh, who came from Jamshedpur. At the Chowk Bazar motor stand, hundreds of tourists waited in the rain for vehicles. Many were seen travelling with children on the roof-top of state-run buses. Small eatery-owners helped them out with food. Darjeeling Gorkha Hotel Owners' Association president Sangey Tsiring Bhutia apologized to the tourists. As a small concession, hoteliers didn't charge them for lodging and food on Monday. Tourists are also stranded in Sikkim, though the state does not come under the area of the strike. Information about the bandh reached them very late, leaving them stranded there. Sikkim tourists have to take the same route to the plains as the ones in Darjeeling. (The Times Of India)

Tourists told to leave Darjeeling as bandh becomes indefinite

2008-06-10T11:12:00.000+05:30

Tourists in Darjeeling were on Monday asked to leave the hills by today by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha which called a 24-hour bandh and then changed it into an indefinite one.
"We have told the tourists to leave. Though we allowed vehicles to run on Monday, transport will not be allowed from Tuesday," GJM president Bimal Gurung told PTI from Darjeeling.
Tourists, who were unable to leave today, could be assisted by the GJM to leave Darjeeling, he said.
"We have also told tourist operators in Kolkata not to send tourists from Tuesday because of the indefinite bandh which will inconvenience them," he said.
The bandh was called by GJM to protest the police lathicharge on its supporters on Sunday after a clash with supporters of two organisations Jana Jagaran and Jana Chetna which Gurung alleges were backed by the state's ruling CPI(M).
"The Jana Jagaran and Jana Chetna have been propped up by CPI(M) which they are using against us and attacking our supporters and also those on hunger strike to demand permission for holding a rally at Naxalbari, which the administration has turned down," he said.
He demanded the Centre's intervention. "Our movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland is democratic, which is sought to be suppressed." (The Hindu)

AIGL criticises GJMM

2008-06-10T11:09:00.001+05:30

Statesman News ServiceDARJEELING, June 9: The All India Gorkha League today described the GJMM's indefinite bandh in the three hill sub-divisions as an act of “political impotence”. The bandh has been called to protest against the hostilities at Bagdogra yesterday.“If the GJMM activists were pelted with stones at Bagdogra, they should have retaliated on the spot. Why cause inconvenience to the public in the Darjeeling hills by convening a bandh?” questioned the AIGL president Mr Madan Tamang. Moreover, it does not suit the GJMM to raise hue and cry for democracy when it resorts to “coercive method” in the hills, he added. According to the AIGL leader, the ongoing disagreement between the GJMM and the CPI-M-led state government over permission to hold a public meeting at Naxalbari is just a “ploy” to gain ground by the two parties in their respective areas. “It is a give and take relationship that they share. As the parliamentary elections are approaching, state urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya is trying to win over Bengali sentiments by preventing GJMM activities in the plains. But the GJMM president Mr Bimal Gurung has become a hero in the hills by calling strikes in protest,” Mr Tamang said. Meanwhile, the CPI-M leadership blamed the GJMM for being perpetrators of the Bagdogra incident yesterday. “The GJMM is the instigator of yesterday's violence. It is their strategy to disrupt communal harmony in the plains. The government should take immediate action against the wrong-doers,” said CPI-M central secretariat member Mr KB Wattar.

Bandh: CRPF deployment planned

2008-06-10T11:07:00.000+05:30

Statesman News Service SILIGURI, June 9: The administration in north Bengal is contemplating to bring in 10 companies of Central Reserve Police Force to Siliguri in view of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha's call for an indefinite bandh covering the Darjeeling hills, the Terai and parts of the Dooars from tomorrow. According to the IGP, north Bengal, Mr Kundan Lal Tamta, the local administration does not want to take any chance after the violence at Bagdogra and Naxalbari yesterday. “I am in touch with the state DGP and deployment of the CRPF in the sensitive areas of Siliguri is a serious consideration,” he said. “We are apprehending further violence in case the GJMM tries to enforce the bandh in the non-Gorkha dominated Siliguri sub-division. To ward off hostilities we are considering bringing in 10 companies of CRPF to Siliguri. The state police authorities are discussing the issue with the Union home ministry for a green signal,” Mr Tamta said.Adding further, the IGP said that in case the Centre concedes, the CRPF personnel would assist the state police in tackling the law and order situation in sensitive parts of the Siliguri sub-division. It may here be mentioned that a CRPF base is already in place near the north Bengal Medical College in Siliguri, but the paramilitary jawans cannot be deployed for maintaining local law and order situation without the Centre's approval. Meanwhile, the prohibitory orders under Section 144 promulgated at Bagdogra and Naxalbari in Siliguri sub-division following the widespread violence last evening, continues to be in place even though there was no report of any fresh violence today. Following a negotiation with the agitators at Naxalbari, the local administration shifted nine GJMM fasters to the Kurseong sub-divisional hospital this afternoon, although the remaining five are continuing with their hunger strike launched on 2 June demanding permission for a public rally at Naxalbari. Of the total 17 fasters there, two had deserted the venue during the violence last evening, while one faster was shifted to the NBMCH on 6 June, the Naxalbari BDO, Mr Hemant Sewa said. The GJMM activists, however, are continuing the fast at Bagdogra, Pradhannagar and Salugara turning down the administration's request for medical treatment.

Kanu Sanyal stresses tripartite dialogue

2008-06-10T11:06:00.000+05:30

Statesman News Service SILIGURI, June 9: The veteran Naxalite leader and the CPI-ML general secretary, Mr Kanu Sanyal has stressed on initiating a tripartite dialogue between the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, the state and the Union government towards resolving the continuing impasse over the separate Gorkhaland demand. Condemning the clash between the GJMM supporters and the local residents at Bagdogra and Naxalbari in Siliguri sub-division yesterday, Mr Sanyal said that the immediate initiation of a tripartite dialogue could only contend the situation that was escalating by the day.“Without any further delay, the state government should discuss the issue with the Union government and arrange for a dialogue with the agitating Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha,” he said.Talking a dig at the district administration's handling of the statehood agitation, Mr Sanyal alleged that the administration was committing one mistake after another at the behest of the ruling CPI-M. “There can be no disasters if the GJMM holds a public meeting at Naxalbari, especially considering that the hill party has already held a peaceful gathering in Siliguri. But by denying the fundamental right of a peaceful gathering, the administration is creating a rift between the people on the ethnic line,” the Naxal veteran said. Mr Sanyal who has publicly supported the Gorkhaland demand on several occasions, however, criticised the GJMM claim for inclusion of Siliguri and Dooars in the demanded Gorkhaland territory. “Neither Mr Bimal Gurung (GJMM) nor any other individual can decide the demanded state territory out of his/her whims and fancy.The centre and the state government would have to work out the territory keeping in mind the demographic details of the areas,” the CPI-ML general secretary said.

Call for Gorkhaland drives tourists away from Darjeeling

2008-06-10T11:03:00.001+05:30

Another menace is raising its head in India's one of the most preferred tourist destinations. Tourists have been asked to leave Darjeeling after an indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.The group has been demanding a separate state - Gorkhaland.The bandh call comes after clashes between Morcha activists, the police and local people of Siliguri on Monday. ''Tourists are welcome in Darjeeling anytime. There is no stopping them. But we are going on an indefinite strike from Tuesday,'' says Roshan Giri, general secretary, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.Earlier, a lull in group's agitation had drawn tourists but now they are fleeing. The original Gorkhaland movement of the 1980s had ended with Darjeeling being given a degree of autonomy. The Morcha is no longer satisfied with that and Darjeeling seems destined for uneasy times ahead. (NDTV.com)

A PEEP AT SILIGARHI’S HISTORY.

2008-06-06T13:50:00.000+05:30

jwalahang Says: June 6, 2008 at 1:12 pm (From Beacononline comment)
Let’s take A PEEP AT SILIGARHI’S HISTORY.
a) 1640 : All Terai areas including Siligarhi and Jalpaiguri belonged to Sikkim in the 17th century.The original inhabitants of Sikkim were the Lepchas(Rongs)and the Limbus(Chongs).The word ‘Sikkim’ owes its origin to Limbu word ‘Su-Khim’ meaning ‘new home’.
b) 1780 : Gorkha King Prithvi Narayan shah’s eldest son Pratap Singh shah attacks Sikkim.
c) 1788-89 : Gorkha army enters Sikkim and annexes Darjeeling hills and the adjoining low plains.Reaches till Teesta river.
d) Dec 1815 : For 30 years, these areas of Sikkim remain with the Gorkhas.Some Gorkhalis settle here permanently. Then Gorkhas eye China but are heavily defeated.
e) 1804-1814 :Gorkhas start annexing northern areas of East India Co.The British condemns this in strongest terms.
f) Lord Hastings declares war with Nepal.As resultant, Nepal start losing the annexed areas.
g) 4th Feb,1816 : Battle of Makwanpur.The last war between Gorkhas and the British. East India Co loses 2 officers and 222 soldiers.About 800 Gorkhas are martyred.
h) 4 March,1816 : Peace Treaty at Sugauli, twenty miles from Raxaul(Bihar).Nepal loses the captured areas including that belonged to Sikkim(Darjeeling hills ,Siligarhi,Jalpaiguri and the low lying areas til Teesta river).Gorkhas join the British India with their LAND.The British starts recruting Gorkhas in the Fauj.
i) 1836 : British starts planting tea in Darjeeling hills. Though, some ethnic tribes like Lepchas and Limbus (now they are assimilated in Gorkha community) resided in the area in few numbers,other communities of the Gorkhas are brought in to work as Tea workers.
j) The British builds the Siligarhi Railway Station to facilitate the transportation of tea.
k) To connect the Hills with Siligarhi,THE DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY is born.Hundreds are Gorkhas come here to work as labourers.Almost all of them become victims of Malaria and other tropical diseases. Many are killed by wild animals and snake-bites.
l) 1907 : Siligarhi declared Sub-Division.Population 2000 only.Some Hindi speaking and Bengali families were there.But, the majority of the population were the Gorkhalis.
m) 1928 : Siligarhi Town Committee is formed.GEORGE MAHBERT SUBBA (Limbu)a Gorkhali, is appointed as its first president.He held the post for 20 years till 1949.
n) 1942 : Thousands of displaced Gorkhalis flee Burma.Some settles in the North East. GEORGE MAHBERT SUBBA arranges land for them in Siligarhi. And the place was called BURMA BUSTY.THIS PLACE WAS later came to be known as Ashrampara .The fate of the displaced Gorkhalis is not known.
o) 1946-47 : PARTITION of the country. Thousands of Hindu Bengalees flee Bangladesh. Siligarhi and the adjoining areas become their NEW HOME !!!
p) 1949 : Siligarhi is declared a Municipality.
q) 1951 : First municipal Elections in Siligarhi. Mr. BAGHBIR GURUNG ,a Gorkhali, is elected as Commissioner of Ward No 1.He was the first Gorkhali Commissioner.
r) 1950 : INDO-NEPAL Friendship Treaty signed. Provisions were made for FREE TRADE and OPEN BORDER. Provision made for continuation of Gorkhalis to get recruited in the Indian Army. INDIA enjoys MAXIMUM BENEFIT from this TREATY specially in TRADE and COMMERCE.
s) 1952 : General Elections in India. GEORGE MAHBERT SUBBA elected to the Legislative Assembly from Siligarhi-Kurseong Constituency.
t) 1956 : States Re-Organisation Commission formed.THE UNRESOLVED GORKHA AREAS left mid-way by the BRITISH officially becomes the part of WEST BENGAL !!!!!!!!!!
In memory to the valiant dead GORKHAS !!!!!!!!!

GORKHALAND MOVEMENT: BIMAL GURUNG'S SPEECH

2008-06-03T15:40:00.001+05:30

On May 7th Gorkha 2008 Gorkha Janmukti Morcha organized a public meeting at Indira gandhi Maidan, siliguri. This is a glimpse of the speech of Bimal Gurung

Gorkhaland issue: GJM seeks talks

2008-06-03T10:53:00.001+05:30

Kolkata: As West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has reportedly requested the Centre to put on hold the bills pertaining to granting of Sixth Schedule status to the Darjeeling Hills he should “now come round to the demand for the creation of a new State comprising the hills and certain areas contiguous to it in West Bengal,” the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha leadership said on Friday.
“We ask the Chief Minister to now request the Prime Minister to arrange for tripartite talks on the statehood issue,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told The Hindu over phone from Darjeeling.
Mr. Bhattacharjee met the Union Home Minister in Delhi earlier in the day and reportedly asked him not to go ahead now with the bills related to Sixth Schedule status for the hills in view of the developments in Darjeeling. They discussed the situation in the region.
“The people of the hills have already rejected the Sixth Schedule proposal as well as its architect Subhas Ghising. It is now time for the Chief Minister to come to terms with the Gorkhaland [statehood] demand and impress on the Centre the need for tripartite talks on the issue ,” Mr. Giri said. The GJM, that had earlier dismissed holding of talks with the government on increasing the powers of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council has called for dissolution of the body.
“We will be sending a resolution adopted by the GJM’s central committee to both the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister demanding that the DGHC be dissolved within June 27,” Mr. Giri said. In another development, the pradhans and up-pradhans in Darjeeling Hills have submitted their resignations to the district authorities, GJM spokesperson Benoy Tamang said. This move throws into uncertainty all rural development work routed through these bodies. (Hindu)

‘We will not quit till we win’: Perspective Gorkhaland movement

2008-06-03T10:33:00.001+05:30

The legend on the plaque resting on the small table says it all, “I will not quit until the battle is won”. And that is how the man who has promised to give his people Gorkhaland by 2010 describes his resolve. Meet Mr Bimal Gurung, chairman of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) as he speaks to SUDIPTA CHANDA, sitting in his tiny party office at Patlebas near the Takvar Tea Estate, Darjeeling.You have promised to bring Gorkhaland about by 2010. How do you plan to do that?We have a strategy in place, but strategies are not divulged. So, I shall not tell you how but rest assured, fetch it we will.The Chief Minister’s refusal to concede Gorkhaland to a GJMM delegation recently must have caused a setback to your plans.Not at all, the fun begins now. It (the state government) will try not to give in to our demand and we are determined to get it. It is inevitable that the statehood movement will intensify now and the state government will have to know how to handle it.What can the state government do to make you drop the statehood demand?Gorkhaland is our one-point demand. It is what we exist for. For us, it is the last battle. We shall not trade the demand against sops or otherwise.What will your prime objective be, if Gorkhaland is achieved? Can you deliver?There are certain priority sectors, for instance tourism, which is the mainstay of the hill economy. Besides, infrastructure, education, road and the traffic system are some of the other issues that have remained neglected for long and need immediate attention. But water is my top priority. No Darjeeling hill resident, irrespective of political affiliation, or any visitor should suffer water scarcity as is happening now. The issue has to be addressed in real earnest.As far as delivering is concerned, there is no reason why we cannot. The Darjeeling hills, along with Siliguri and the portion of the Dooars that figure in our demanded Gorkhaland territory, generate enough revenue. All that is required is to plough back the revenue, not just take it away, as is happening now.Armed struggle or a non-violent movement, what do you prefer?Our movement has been and shall remain non-violent on the lines of Gandhian philosophy. (A friend sitting near Mr Gurung says: “The chairman has sworn by the Gita, Bible and Koran to keep the movement non-violent”, as Mr Gurung nods in assent.)It is often said that you used the people’s sentiments during the ‘Indian Idol’ television show and exploited Mr Prashant Tamang’s support base for political gains. Isn’t that opportunism?Those who say that I used the opportunity for political gains are wrong. I fell apart with Mr Subash Ghisingh for his policies in 1988. People voted me to the hill council as an Independent candidate in 1999. My relationship with Mr Ghisingh struck rock bottom in 2005 when he took 19 of us to Kolkata for a meeting with the chief minister on the Sixth Schedule. At the Writers’ Buildings we were kept waiting in an anteroom as Mr Ghisingh and the chief minister remained closeted in another in a one-to-one dialogue. They emerged after 45 minutes with the chief minister declaring that all our problems would now be solved as the Darjeeling hills were being included in the Sixth Schedule. I saw through the farce immediately and decided to revive the statehood movement on returning to Darjeeling, which I did.Mr Tamang did us proud but he is incidental to the timing of my political journey.The chief minister has been critical of the GJMM’s alliance with the Kamtapur Progressive Party and the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party saying the Centre and state government viewed those as secessionist organisations. What is your opinion?The first condition of our alliance is that neither of the two organisation will resort to violence or maintain links with any militant or anti-India outfit.If that clause is not honoured we shall pull out of the alliance. I am not interested in what the two organisations were in the past. In fact, the state government and the Centre should give us credit for helping to keep the lid on the two organisations.The Maoists have come to power in neighbouring Nepal through armed struggle. Can you ensure that their philosophy will not penetrate your organisation? After all, the border is porous.We believe in and practice a democratic movement. A clear message has been passed down to the grass roots supporters and that is “no violence”. If any one is found breaching the line or trying to import the type of movement we have witnessed on the other side of the border in recent times, we shall inquire and take necessary action against such elements.You have called on all Gorkha/Nepali people from within and abroad to support your movement. What is the response?Overwhelming. We called for support (holding up a message sent to the Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on the subject) and people have responded well.We are receiving support from Gorkhas residing in Hong Kong, Thailand, the Middle East and other countries in addition to intellectuals, academia, ex-soldiers and (others). They will not come here to stay but all want a land to be called their own. It is a matter of identity.Lastly there are those from non-Gorkha communities who have been residing in the Darjeeling hills for generations. They are our most valued treasures, for backing us at this crunch hour.It has been noticed that you undertake programmes either on the seventh day of a month or on dates that are multiples of seven. Are you superstitious? What is the secret?(Allowing a faint grin for the first time during the interview) I was born on 17 July 1964. I consider the numbers seven and eight lucky.I am a God-fearing person and honour every man’s religion, unlike Mr Ghisingh, who had ruled out the worship of idols, which is integral to the Hindu religion. It created a lot of bad blood. I intend to repair that as well.

Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha sets deadline for Gorkhaland

2008-06-03T10:28:00.000+05:30

In West Bengal, the Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha has set 27 June as deadline for dissolving the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, DGHS and to create a separate state of Gorkhaland. Disclosing this to newsmen after the Morcha's Central Committee meeting in Darjeeling last evening, its General Secretary Mr. Roshan Giri said the DGHS set up in 1988 has failed to fulfill the aspirations of the hill people. He said the meeting also decided to launch an agitation for the creation of Gorkhaland if the June 27 deadline was not met. In another development, 104 of the 112 gram panchayat pradhans and up-pradhans in Darjeeling hills have resigned in support of their demand for Gorkhaland. (newsonair)

Left’s Misfired Missive

2008-06-03T10:21:00.000+05:30

Tendentious Anti-imperialism
Monday 2 June 2008, by Sankar Ray
The West Bengal supremo and Polit-Bureau member of the CPI-M, Biman Bose, slapped a suspicion at the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leadership that the movement is inspired by US imperialism. In a more gossipy than substantive tone, he said: “We do not have evidence to prove the allegation but we have strong doubts that US Intelligence agencies are linked with the political turmoil in the Darjeeling hills.” Carrying on his political formulation in a cavalier fashion, he added that there might be a possible involvement of the US secret agencies in Darjeeling as the USA, adept in ‘the art of Balkanisation’ or vivisecting non-conformist countries into smaller ones, may have some role in the “ongoing disturbances in the Darjeeling hills”. Bose was speaking to the media at the Siliguri party office.
Bose, albeit as crucial a political personality as the Left Front Chairman, is at home in trying to sell rumours. Immediately after the people of Nandigram were astir in the first week of January 2007, he told the media that the Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar had a secret meeting at Sonachura, Nandigram, to chalk out the agitation. When Medha shot back saying that she had never been to Nandigram and threatened to sue the LF big boss, the latter climbed down stating that he got such an information and expressed regret. When Tapasi Malik, daughter of a landless labourer, was found assassinated and charred at Singur, Bose said she might have died out of a failed romance. A silly attempt to vilify the first martyr of Singur peasants’ struggle against the Tata Motors project. There are many such instances, all in video cassettes of several private TV channels, of baseless accusations or concoctions by the man, known as the best recruit of the CPI-M’s organisational genius, Promode Dasgupta.
The LF Chairman wants to differentiate between the GJMM and Gorkha National Liberation Front, led by Subhas Ghising, as the GNLF can’t be accused of links with US imperialism. B T Ranadive, a founding PB member of the CPI-M and infamous for pushing the undivided CPI into a sectarian quagmire in the late 1940s, wrote a piece in the CPI-M’s mouthpiece People’s Democracy two decades back and branded the Gorkhaland stir as “yet another attack of the secessionist forces on the unity and integrity of India”. (B.T. Ranadive: “Gorkhaland Agitation—a Part of Imperialist plot in the East”, PD, September 10, 1988) But the CPI-M stopped calling the GNLF and Ghising ‘secessionist’ when there was a discreet deal between Ghising and the CPI-M for smooth victory of the CPI-M nominee from the Darjeeling parliamentary seat. Every time (except in 2004) the GNLF used to boycott polls in the hill segments and ensured victory of the CPI-M. When in 2004 the GNLF decided to side with the Congress nominee, Dawa Narbula, the CPI-M campaigners raked up the secessionist allegation against the GNLF.
The CPI-M has in the last two decades been very often spearheading its criticism against US imperialism and the neo-liberal ideology. This is commendable. Now the party talks of peace and peace movement unlike in the 1960s and 1970s when its fire-eating leaders like M. Basava-punnaiah, BTR and Dasgupta used to ridicule the World Peace Council and its Indian arm, the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation which now is gradually in for grab by the AKG Bhavan, thanks to the submissive attitude of the CPI. In the late 1960s, the CPI-M, parroting the Communist Party of China in its resolution at the Burdwan plenum, slandered the CP of the Soviet Union stating that the CPSU leaders “go to the extent of exaggerating the concept of peaceful coexistence… as a form of class struggle”. However, this was a downright lie as the document adopted by the 81-party meeting (Moscow, 1960) categorically said: “Peaceful coexistence of states does not imply renunciation of class struggle as the revisionists claim.” Among the signatories of the document was the CPC, which unfortunately distorted this in the letter of the Central Committee of the CPC to the CC of the CPSU on June 14, 1963; and that constituted the whole essence of the CPI-M’s ideology after splitting the CPI.
The tirade against US imperialism is excellent but not the misuse of it. The CPI-M General Secretary, Prakash Karat, propped up by the mainstream media as an outstanding ideologue, told newspersons at the recently-concluded 19th Congress of the CPI-M at Coimbatore that the Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee (Committee of Resistance against Eviction from Land) of Nandigram is inspired by US imperialism. West Bengal’s Higher Education Minister Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury, a delegate, and Karat referred to the US State Administration’s human rights violation report in India, especially Nandigram. “ It is now evident that there was something more than the issue of land,” Karat remarked, as if the Nandigram stir was inspired by the Bush Administration.
The role of US imperialism in the Nandigram movement was discovered by the AITUC General Secretary and CPI group leader in the Lok Sabha, Gurudas Dasgupta, who raised the matter during Zero hour in Parliament on March 14 drawing attention to the US State Department report, 2007 ‘Country Reports on Human Rights Practices—India’. “The issue is: it is India’s concern, not the US’s,” the firebrand MP said. But there is a catch here. A statement was issued by the CPI-M PB on the same day chiding the US Government for ‘unnecessary and unwarranted’ interference and denouncing the reference to Nandigram. The AKG Bhavan biggies advised ‘all right thinking people to reject this contention and interference of the US Government’. The choice of March 14 was to divert attention of TV-viewers from the coverage of events on the first anniversary of the Nandigram incidents that provoked the State Governor to express his sense of ‘cold horror’.

THE idea of giving the US (read the CIA) tag on the genuine agrarian struggle was novel, but ludicrous too. What Karat, Dasgupta and Roy Chowdhury suppressed was that it was not a report prepared by the US Government, but a verbatim reproduction of a UNHRC report. It is accessible to netizens the world over. The credit line to the UNHRC was there too. Karat’s feigned innocence is mischievous. Interestingly, the selective ballyhoo was not made on March 11 when it was uploaded in the US State Department’s website but on March 14. The concocted link between the US imperialists and Nandigram protesters was to give the protesters a bad name and hang them. This is not only cowardice but tendentious.
The 293-word portion on Nandigram in the UNHRC document reads: On March 14, thousands of local villagers in the Nandigram district of West Bengal attacked police and Communist Party of India–Marxist (CPM) supporters who tried to enter an agricultural area earmarked for conversion to an industrial zone. Acting on orders from the CPM-led State Government, the police fired on the crowd, killing 14 individuals and injuring 45. The Kolkata High Court ordered an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but the court later revoked the CBI’s investigative authority and asked the CBI to preserve evidence. On July 10, members of the Anti-Naxal Special Police Force killed five persons including an alleged leader of the CPI-Maoist cadre at Ammadlu village in Chikmagalur district. According to the Karnataka police, all five were members of the local Naxalite unit, while human rights groups alleged that four of those killed were residents of a house caught in the crossfire. At year’s end a magisterial inquiry into the encounter was underway.
From November 6 to 11, CPM members, whom human rights groups claim had State Government support and direction, conducted a violent campaign of intimidation to regain control over the Nandigram area from the BUPC. The BUPC included those opposed to the CPM’s plan to acquire local land for industry, some former CPM supporters, and Opposition party workers and was backed by the Trinamul Congress, part of the West Bengal Opposition. News reports and eyewitness accounts noted that CPM cadres fired on BUPC supporters and local villagers, killing at least three and injuring others, burned many houses, and engaged in numerous rapes. On November 27, journalists reported the discovery of mass graves in the area. Following a government order on December 7, the CID initiated an inquiry into the identity of the bodies”.
There is no exaggeration, but understatement. The judgment by the High Court of Calcutta, inexplicably delivered in an inordinate delay after a bigger and more cruel genocide nearly for the whole of November last year, recorded 27 disappearances, 162 injured and half a dozen of rapes.
Karat, Dasgupta, Roy Chowdhury et.al should know that the UNHRC got Nobel Peace Prize twice for defending peace and human rights with their people working with great risks everywhere; why don’t they, then, pull up the UN affiliate instead of aiming at a deliberately wrong target? Dasgupta, arguably a vociferous pro-labour parliamentarian, danced to the tune of the AKG Bhavan honchos. True, without the CPI-M’s support he could not and will not be an MP.
About the CPI’s canine subservience, no elaboration is necessary. Its cadres lined up at the entrance of Coimbatore’s V. O. Chidambaram Ground, the venue of the mass meeting, to greet the first procession led by Sitaram Yechury. That’s the singularly great contribution of the CPI General Secretary, A. B. Bardhan, to his AKG Bhavan bosses.
The UNHRC referred to the Home Ministry’s 2006-2007 Report , revealing “1159 deaths in police custody between April and December 2006”. It makes a crisp reference to violence perpetrated by Naxalites—meaning the Maoists—in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and counter-terrorist excesses by the state too. Left MPs are deceptively silent about this. “Of the 336 individuals killed in Chhatisgarh, 93 were civilians, 170 police personnel (regular forces, as well as Special Police Officers) and 73 were alleged Naxalites. According to Andhra Pradesh Police, Maoists killed 44 civilians throughout the year.” The police too “were responsible for 47 encounter killings of Maoists during the year, compared with 110 in 2006”. Militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom “killed more than 110 persons in bomb attacks in the Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivsagar districts of Assam”, the UNHRC stated. The official Left parties are unperturbed over the matter.
Let me drift a little to tell you a bit about Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury, now a Minister of Higher Education, West Bengal. He was a temporary Maoist during the early period of the Naxalbari revolt, but went back to the CPI-M to regain a safe life and career. He was twice elected an MP too. The other day I was seeing a documentary of the Naxalbari movement, Basanter Dinguli ( Memories of Spring Thunder), written and directed Amar Bhattacharya, one of the many victims of state terror for involvement in the Naxalbari struggle that relived those high-voltage days which catapulted the agrarian imperative to the national arena. Amar did a good job, leave apart our ideological differences. Roy Chowdhury’s active role during the days of ‘spring thunder’ has a mention there.
However, Karat’s role in ‘transferred epithet’—US link to the Nandigram stir—had a hidden purpose. He confirmed that he is an obedient boy of the cash-rich CPI-M’s West Bengal unit which calls the shots from Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan. Asset values of buildings, constructed and owned by the CPI-M’s district and zonal committees and mass organisations like the CITU, All India Krishak Sabha, morninger Ganashakti and State and Central Government employees’ bodies, may be anything between Rs 300 crores and Rs 400 crores. Karat and other biggies at the A.K. Gopalan Bhavan, the party’s national headquarters, have to keep the M A Bhavan honchos in good humour, shelving ideological issues aside.
Poor Marx, five-star Communists like Karat and Yechury, posing as his disciples, conveniently forgot Marx’s words—“I am human, and nothing human is alien to me”—borrowed from Publius Terentius Afer, the playwright of the Roman Empire, known more as Terence (195-159 BC). Which was why Yechury wasted no time in justifying the mini-genocide at Nandigram on March 14 as if all this was provoked by the peaceful mass, under the banner of the BUPC. Maybe, tomorrow Karat and Yechury will defend the bumptious CPI-M MP—the overlord of Haldia—Lakshman Seth who tried to prevent the CRPF DIG Alok Raj to do his assigned task at Nandigram to help peaceful Panchayat polling there. The mafia face of false Marxism is out in the broad daylight of grim reality, at least in West Bengal. (Mainstream weekly)

GMM threatens to stop work on power projects

2008-05-30T08:59:00.000+05:30

CJ: Kumar Sarkar
After a brief lull, the hills of Darjeeling threaten to become restive again. The Gorkha Mukti Morcha has now threatened to stop construction work in two hydel power projects being set up by the National Hydel Power Corporation..
THE LEFT Front government’s rejection of the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland by the Gorkha Mukti Morcha (GMM) has once again signalled unrest in the hills. This time, however, the disruption planned is of a severe nature and could be deemed an anti-social act.
The chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s assurance of greater autonomy for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) failed to appease the Morcha leadership, which has rejected the offer. It is sticking to its demand for a separate state where it wants the inclusion of the foothill town of Siliguri and the sprawling lush green Dooars, famous for its tea and timber.
The Morcha has embarked on a plan, which is likely to bring it into a direct confrontation with the Centre and the state. The Morcha has threatened to stop work on two power projects under construction in the hills as of June 7. The threat was delivered through a news agency.
The Morcha wants to put a spanner in the works in the Teesta Low Dam projects III and IV. The two projects are being built at a cost of Rs 1,830 crores. Morcha leaders have also threatened to close down the offices of the National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC) in the hills of Darjeeling district. The Morcha leadership’s contention is that the hydel power projects are being set up drawing on the resources of the hills but they would end up supplying electricity to the plains of West Bengal. The parochial tone of the Morcha leaders seems all but evident, given that no such decision has been announced.
The 111 megawatt Teesta Low Dam Project III being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 768.92 crores is slated to be completed by the end of this year. The on going 132 mega watt Teesta Low Dam Project IV being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,061.38 crores is slated for completion by September 2009.
In the course of reviving the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland, which was first spearheaded by the Gorkha National Liberation Front supremo Subhas Ghisingh over 20 years ago, the Morcha is gearing up to take on the Centre. Ghisingh, was careful not to annoy the Centre. On the contrary, he kept his channels to the Centre open through former Union Home Minister, Buta Singh. During Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, the Congress government sided with Ghisngh blatantly to needle the Left Front government in West Bengal. Though it had no intentions of carving up West Bengal by creating a separate state of Gorkhaland, political expediency seemed to have demanded that the GNLF remain a thorn in the Left government’s side.
The Morcha, in yet another departure, is seeking to disrupt work in hydel power projects where the central agency, the NHPC, is involved and had earlier threatened that hill residents would stop paying taxes, telephone bills and the like.(Merinews)

Morcha gives ultimatum

2008-05-30T08:53:00.003+05:30

Darjeeling, May 29: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today set a June 27 deadline for the Bengal government to dissolve the DGHC and create a separate state comprising Darjeeling, the Dooars and the Terai.
Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri made the announcement following a marathon meeting of the central committee at the party’s head office in Patlabas here.
“We believe that the council that was set up in 1988 has failed to fulfil the aspiration of the hill people… The council had also left out Siliguri, Terai and the Dooars. The central committee has unanimously decided to start an agitation if our June 27 deadline to dissolve the council is not met. The only alternative that we are demanding is Gorkhaland,” Giri.
The general secretary neither spelt out the details of the agitation, nor spoke about the fate of the contractual employees currently working in the council.
However, Morcha president Bimal Gurung told DGHC contractual workers at Darjeeling Gymkhana Club early this morning that none of them would lose their jobs.
“I will not make you fight for Gorkhaland on empty stomach or by dousing your hearth. Rest assured that no matter what, no one would be able to take your jobs. You are all getting a meagre salary but the days are not far when you would be receiving a good salary,” Gurung told the large gathering.
The DGHC employs around 8,000 workers on six-month contracts and pays them between Rs 2,000 and 3,500 a month. Ever since Gurung started talking about the need to dissolve the council, these workers have been afraid of losing their jobs.
In another development, 104 gram panchayat pradhans from across the hills today resigned in support of Gorkhaland. “Of the 112 pradhans in the hills, 104 have resigned. The other seats belong to the GNLF, CPM and other political parties,” said Binay Tamang, the media and publicity secretary of the Morcha.
Although the state government had dissolved the gram panchayats in 2005 and did not hold elections after that, the pradhans were later appointed presidents of village committees overseeing the implementation of the 100-day work scheme. The pradhans/presidents also issue birth certificates.
“For us, nothing is more important than Gorkhaland, “ said Urmila Singh, the pradhan of Bijanbari.
The state government has not reacted to the en-masse resignation yet. (The Telegraph)

Darjeeling pradhans resign over statehood

2008-05-30T08:45:00.000+05:30

DARJEELING, May 29: To facilitate the Gorkhaland movement, panchayat pradhans and upa-pradhans of all the three Darjeeling hill sub-divisions submitted their resignation before the district authority today. “We are resigning from our respective posts as the panchayat has become an obstacle for attaining statehood,” said Mr Anjum Chauhan, pradhan of Pokhriabong gram panchayat.Elections to the 112 gram panchayats under the DGHC governed areas has been withheld since 2005 after the DGHC administrator Mr Subash Ghisingh raised the issue of dissolving the DGHC following which all the councilors had resigned. “We have been serving our posts voluntarily without honorarium. There was no accountability of funds allotted to gram panchayats during Mr Ghisingh's tenure,” Mr Chauhan alleged.During the past one year though, the state government was implementing the 100-day employment scheme under the NREGS in these areas. “We were appointed president for the NREGS schemes but without any real power. The government managed the funds and the salaries of the workers,” said Mrs Tshering Bhutia, pradhan of Rangbull gram panchayat. Among the 112 gram panchayats, post bearers of 102 affiliated to the GJMM resigned today while the remaining 10 affiliated to the CPRM were absent. Altogether 63 gram panchayats from Mirik, Kurseong, Bijanbari, Sukhia and Takda blocks submitted their resignation before the ADM, Mrs Zimba in Darjeeling today. Remaining 39 gram panchayats resigned before Kalimpong SDO Mr Sherpa. (The Statesman)

GJMM calls indefinite strike from 7 June

2008-05-28T08:11:00.000+05:30

Statesman News Service DARJEELING, May 27: The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha will impose an indefinite strike on the NHPC offices and construction sites in the Darjeeling hills starting 7 June. “We have convened the indefinite strike in view of the negligence of the government in these sites,” said Mr Roshan Giri, general-secretary of the GJMM.As part of the agitation for Gorkhaland, the GJMM had imposed indefinite strike on the payment departments of the telephone exchange and the electricity board, which is still on, depriving the state government and the Centre of crores of Rupees. “The governments earn a lot of revenue from this region but do not deliver anything. The condition at Twentynine Mile, Twentyseven Mile and Gale Khola where the NHPC sites are located are deplorable,” alleged Mr Giri.Among the main projects of the NHPC, the Teesta Low Dam Stage III and Stage IV are located along the National Highway 31C. Many inhabitants were evicted from their land to accommodate the projects. “It has been so many years since the project started yet nothing has been done to rehabilitate the people who were evicted,” Mr Giri said.

Morcha to block low dams

2008-05-28T08:07:00.002+05:30

Darjeeling, May 27: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to stop all ongoing projects of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) in the Darjeeling hills from June 7 as part of its movement for a separate state.
Binay Tamang, the media and publicity secretary of the Morcha, made the announcement today. “The party has decided to stop all work at the NHPC sites from June 7. We will also close down the corporation’s offices.”
The Morcha has already stopped movement of timber from the hills to the plains as part of its economic blockade programme designed to put pressure on the Bengal government. However, the decision to stop construction work at NHPC’s Teesta Low Dam Project (TLDP)-III and IV is likely to hit the country’s premier hydroelectric utility hard. NHPC is a central government enterprise.
“NHPC will earn crores from the projects but what will the hill people gain from them?” asked Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha. The party has recently revived the demand for Gorkhaland in the hills.
Although officials of the NHPC could not be contacted, sources said the corporation is looking to complete TLDP-III by the end of this year. The scheduled date of completion of TLDP-IV is September 2009.
While, TLDP-III is a Rs 768.92-crore project (according to estimates made in December 2002), TLDP-IV is estimated to cost Rs 1,061.38 crore. Both the sites are in the Rambhi-Kalijhora area, about 20km downstream from Teesta Bazar in the Kalimpong subdivision.
The two projects are the biggest in the area as TLDP-III is expected to generate 132mw of power and TLDP-IV 160mw.
The media and publicity secretary of the Morcha today confirmed that the party would hold a meeting of the central committee on May 29 to adopt a resolution for the immediate dissolution of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. Morcha president Bimal Gurung had made the announcement in Siliguri on Sunday.
“We also want the Bengal government to take a decision on the Mirik Municipality where L.B. Rai, the chairman, has resigned from the GNLF. We will ideally want either the Kurseong subdivisional officer or the executive officer of the municipality to take charge of the civic body,” said Tamang.
The state government is expected to issue a notification for holding by-elections in the three vacant wards of the Darjeeling Municipality on May 29. (The Telegraph)

GJM says it will directly deal with Centre on Gorkhaland

2008-05-27T08:53:00.001+05:30

With its proposal for a separate state of Gorkhaland being rejected outright by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Monday said it would now deal directly with the Centre.
GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said Bhattacharjee's proposal for greater autonomy, made in a meeting with the GJM in Kolkata three days back, was "meaningless and frustrating" because their movement was aimed at statehood and "nothing less".
However, Giri said, "We will keep our doors open for talks to be initiated by the Left Front government."
Meanwhile, GJM president Bimal Gurung yesterday demanded that the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council be dissolved immediately, arguing it had hindered the original demand for a state for the Gorkhas.
"However, as GJM was not officially empowered to dissolve the DGHC, a strategy to make it non-functional would be taken up in the central committee meeting of the party in a day or two."
Giri said all casual workers of the hill body would be asked to quit their jobs. A few permanent employees on deputation would be asked to return to their original postings virtually leaving the DGHC defunct.
Gurung's statement has set alarm bells ringing through the hills as 9,000 people were directly or indirectly employed in the DGHC. (The Hindu)

LF wants resolution to Darjeeling crisis

2008-05-27T08:50:00.000+05:30

SILIGURI, May 26: The Left parties CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc have demanded an all-party meeting and the involvement of the Centre in the negotiation process for a viable solution to the Darjeeling tangle. “The issue is serious and the state government is not the exclusive authority to decide things. An all-party meeting should be convened and the Centre must be involved in the process without further delay,” the leaders of the LF constituents demanded. While the RSP is toying with the idea of reviving the Darjeeling ZP, all the three parties favoured a Constitutional amendment for a permanent solution. Welcoming the recent negotiation between the chief minister and the GJMM leadership in Kolkata the CPI said the seriousness of the issue required immediate involvement of the Centre. “A Constitutional amendment may be necessary in the direction of evolving a solution within the framework of the state. The Centre's involvement is required in the dialogue,” Mr Pijush Guha, a CPI state committee member said. “An all-party meeting should be convened and all the viewpoints should be heard. The Centre's role is vital,” the FB Darjeeling district secretary Mr Smritish Bhattacharya said. Taking a distinct stand on the issue the RSP floated a proposal of reviving the Darjeeling ZP after repealing the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and the Siliguri mahakuma marishad. nSNS

BBBBS demands identification of Indian Nepalis before talks

2008-05-27T08:48:00.000+05:30

Statesman News Service SILIGURI, May 26: The Bangla O Bangla Bhasa Bachao Samiti has demanded identification of the Indian Nepalis before negotiations between the state government and the representatives of the Darjeeling hill-based political outfits. “The Bengali populace of Siliguri would not give credence to any negotiation to untangle the Darjeeling crisis until the foreigners and the Indian Nepalis are differentiated,” Dr Mukunda Majumder, the president, BBBBS affirmed.“We suspect that some of the negotiators representing the hills are not from this country. Only the genuine Indian Nepalis are entitled to take part in the negotiations,” Dr Majumder said.He further said that 1950 should be declared the cut-off year for the identification of the Indian Nepalis and the antecedents of those having come into India after that year should be thoroughly looked into.“It is queer that there is yet no government instrumentation to distinguish the genuine citizens from the mere settlers. Taking advantage of government nonchalance, thousands of people from a neighboring country have been getting into India, settling down and then claim they were Indian citizens,” the BBBS leader affirmed.Terming the 1950 Indo-Nepal treaty a ‘bane’ for India and a ‘boon’ for Nepal, he demanded an immediate abrogation of the treaty. “It puzzles us why the Centre is not interested in reviewing the treaty, though the Nepali Maoist leader Prachanda has publicly advocated for its review from the end of Nepal's new dispensation,” he said.

Anti- Gorkhaland body to meet CM over GJMM’s use of DGHC property

2008-05-27T08:46:00.000+05:30

Statesman News ServiceSILIGURI, May 25: The controversy over the unabated use of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council tourist resort ‘Pintail Village’ in Siliguri by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha for political purposes has been resented by a Siliguri based anti-Gorkhaland apolitical body. The body has decided to meet the chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the issue.Named Janajagarana - the anti-Gorkhaland body, has worked out a delegation, which would meet the CM at the Writers’ Buildings in Kolkata. “We have approached the chief minister's office for an appointment and once we avail that, the delegation would leave for the Writers’,” said Mr Ashok Hore, joint secretary of the newly formed body. Expressing resentment at the ‘indiscriminate’ use of the ‘Pintail Village’ by the GJMM for political purpose, the Janajagarana leader said: “Mr Bimal Gurung is holding Press conferences at the resort regularly as if it was his party office. Despite this open misuse of a public property, the administration is keeping mum.”Janajagarana, which surfaced recently to campaign against the Gorkhaland demand revived by the GJMM, has also condemned Mr Gurung's call for dissolution of the DGHC. “He does not have any proven mandate to give such an undemocratic call and to risk the livelihood of thousands of individuals employed with the DGHC. In our meeting with the CM, we would also urge him to take a strong stand against such undemocratic gestures,” Mr Hore said.Meanwhile, the hill based political party, the All India Gorkha League too has criticised the GJMM for using the ‘Pintail Village’ for political purpose. “On one hand, Mr Bimal Gurung is calling for the dissolution of the DGHC, while on the other, his party is actively involved in the implementation of several development projects initiated by the Council in the hills. He is also using the ‘Pintail Village’ frequently. Are these not contradictory?” the AIGL president, Mr Madan Tamang questioned.However The DGHC Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner, Mr BL Meena did not have a say on the GJMM's use of ‘Pintail Village’.