GORKHALAND ISSUE

WHY IN NEWS:

• The Home Ministry had convened a meeting with the Gurkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on 8^th Oct 2020. The group demanded the creation of a State of Gorkhaland comprising Darjeeling and the adjoining hill districts in West Bengal.

WHAT IS GORKHALAND ISSUE?

• Gorkhaland consists of Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and other hilly districts of West-Bengal.
• The people belonging to these areas have ethical, cultural and language differences with the Bengali community of West-Bengal.
• The demand of Darjeeling as a separate administrative region dates back to 1907.
• But, the term “Gorkhaland” was coined recently, in the 1980s, by Subhash Ghising, the founder of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).
• The Gorkhaland Movement is a movement mainly focused in the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal, which demands the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland.
• The area covers Duars and Terai region of West Bengal. And is famous for its tea and beauty, which are the main sources of its income.

REASONS FOR THE SEPARATIST DEMAND:

• Cultural differences:
  • People of Nepali-Indian Gorkha ethnic origin on the Northern part of West Bengal demands a state on basis of their cultural identity, which is very different from Bengali culture.
• Backwardness:
  • Improvements in basic amenities like education, health, water supply, sanitation and employment is stagnated in the hill regions
• Cultural imposition:
  • In 2017, it was West Bengal government’s decision to impose Bengali language in all the schools from Class I to IX, attracts violent agitation in the region
• Political aspirations:
  • State government’s failure to conduct the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) elections created mistrust among the public and rose their aspiration of self-governance

HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT:

• Prior to 1780s the Darjeeling area was ruled by Chogyal of Sikkim
• Around 1780 the Gorkhas had captured Sikkim and most parts of the North East including Darjeeling.
• In 1817, through the Treaty of Titalia, the British reinstated Chogyal of Sikkim and gave back all the territory annexed by Gorkhas back to Chogyals.
• Though in 1835, British took possession of the hills of Darjeeling from Sikkim.
• The present district of Darjeeling came into existence in 1866.
• In 1907, The demand for a separate administrative unit in Darjeeling was raised for the first time by the Hillmen’s Association of Darjeeling. It submitted a memorandum to Minto-Morley Reforms demanding a separate administrative setup
• In 1781, The West Bengal government passes a resolution supporting the creation of an autonomous district council consisting Darjeeling and related areas.
• Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) was formed in 1980, it launches a most violent agitation in Gorkhaland movement history in 1986.
• In 1988, Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council accord is signed by GNLF, the state of Bengal and the Centre. Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council came into action. GNLF drops the demand for the separate state.
• In 2005, the same parties signed an in–principle memorandum of settlement to include Darjeeling in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which addresses the administration of tribal areas.
• Calling ‘the Sixth Schedule solution’ a betrayal to Gorkhaland, Bimal Gurung launched Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in 2007.
• The same year witnessed a rise in agitations for the separate Gorkhaland demand.
• In 2011 the memorandum of agreement for the formation of a Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a semi-autonomous administrative body for the Darjeeling, passed by  West Bengal legislative assembly to calm the GJM.
• In 2013, the demand for separation rose high again due to the division of Andhra Pradesh
• In 2017, West Bengal government’s decision to impose Bengali language in all the schools from Class I to IX, had triggered new set of violence in the region

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MOVEMENT:

• Affects India-Nepal relation:
  • Gorkhaland will affect India-Nepal relations too.
  • How India treats the problems of the Nepali people of hill origin in Darjeeling will affect how Nepal deals with the people of Indian origin in Nepal, i.e. Madhesi in Terai.
• Strategic location:
  • Gorkhaland has a strategic location, it’s vicinity to the chicken neck that connects rest of India with North East. Its stability is must for India’s strategic and economic interests of the nation.
• Ensuring stability in the region:
  • Darjeeling is a tea and tourist hot-spot with a high level of poverty. It needs and has potential to become the economic engine of the East with a sustainable economic model. But such things will be possible only if there is stability in the region.
• Influences other separatist movements across the country
  • The way government dealing with Gorkhaland issue will affect the other similar demands such as Saurashtra, Bodoland etc
• A Gorkhaland State Would Open a Pandora's Box:
  • Any consideration of the demand would open up a pandora’s box with many ethnic and indigenous groups raising their demands for statehood in the region.

WAY FORWARD:

• Solution through political consensus:
  • Creation of separate state may legitimise violence as a way to meet demands.
  • The rise of agitation with the rise of new outfits shows that politics plays the vital role.
  • The problem can be resolved by consensus among various stakeholders including state government, separatists and Central government.
• More powers to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration
  • Giving more powers to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, creating a transparent and open election process. It must be realised that GJM rose due to the failure of the government to conduct DGHC elections.
• Economic development in the region:
  • Improving infrastructure for tourism and tea sector can bring employment opportunities and tackle poverty in the region. This may help to pacify people of the region
• Cultural assimilation:
  • Respecting the distinct cultural and linguist aspirations of the Gorkhaland people is required for assimilating them with main land Bengal
  • Regressive moves such as imposing Bengali language as done in 2017, may prove disastrous
• Tribal status:
  • Granting tribal status to the 11 communities of the Darjeeling hills, as demanded by  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. “The demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland has often been weighed by reason and also by emotion”. In the light of this statement analyse the role of cultural distinctiveness in various separatists’ movements across India?