Darjeeling: The Union home ministry has called a meeting to find a “solution to problems related to the Gorkhas”. Invitations to attend the same were emailed to certain public representatives and leaders of the BJP’s regional alliance partners in the hills in Darjeeling and Kalimpong in northern West Bengal.
During the 2019 parliamentary elections, the BJP’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ (election manifesto) had made assurances of a permanent political solution (PPS) to the more than 100-year-old demand of a separate state for the Gorkhas within the Indian federal structure.
Despite BJP candidate Raju Bista winning a seat from the Darjeeling constituency, these assurances have not been translated into action on the PPS front. The BJP has also not divulged what the PPS will be – a separate state, a union territory or any other form of administrative arrangement. All this has resulted in a constant build up of pressure from opposition parties.
In August, Bista had claimed that home minister Amit Shah would convene tripartite talks with the Union government, the West Bengal government and political parties in the first week of September to discuss a PPS to the Gorkha impasse. With the meeting failing to take place in September, the hill opposition parties labelled the BJP’s politics as a “politics of deceit”.
Finally, on October 5, certain public representatives and political leaders received invitations to the talks via emails sent by the Union home ministry. The emails, however, did not mention whether the talks would be bipartite (between the Union government and regional political parties/stakeholders) or tripartite (involving the state government as well). This led to doubts being raised from many corners.
Meeting to discuss ‘Gorkha problems’
The recent email was sent by Paritosh Yadav, assistant section officer, SR Section and included a downloadable pdf of the meeting notice.
The notice in Hindi, signed by Renu Sarin, director, CS – II, states: “A meeting will be convened by Union home minister to find solution to Gorkha problems. The meeting will be held at 4pm in room number 119, North Block, New Delhi. “
“The invitation could have been more specific; it could have clarified the issue to be discussed and could have included the words ‘Permanent Political Solution’. ‘Problems of the Gorkhas’ can encompass anything from civic amenities like drinking water to health and education issues,” opined a political observer. “The invitee list is not mentioned in the notice either, hence it’s still not clear whether the meeting is bipartite or tripartite (whether the West Bengal government will be represented) in nature.”
The date of the meeting has also raised questions. It has been slated in the middle of Durga Puja on the day of Saptami (the seventh day). Since Durga Puja is the biggest festival in Bengal and a four-day-long state holiday, it is most unlikely that there will be any representation from the state government, assuming they have been invited to the talks.
BJP MLA from Darjeeling Neeraj Zimba stated, “The state government has been invited to talks but it is altogether a different issue whether they participate or not.”
Should the state government fail to take part, observers feel that the BJP and its allies will definitely make it a scapegoat.
At time of writing, Darjeeling MP Bista, Darjeeling MLA Zimba, Kurseong MLA B.P. Bajgain along with the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) president Mann Ghising have received invitations to the talks.
Interestingly, all the public representatives and leaders who have received invitations are from the BJP or from its alliance parties. It is not yet clear who else will be called for the talks. Ruden Sada Lepcha, an MLA who had contested as an independent candidate, claimed that he has not received an invite to the talks. “The invitees are going to Delhi just to celebrate the festival of Phulpati together and exchange pleasantries with the Union home minister,” Lepcha told The Wire.
Demand for separation from Bengal
The Gorkhas residing in West Bengal have long been demanding separation from the state on ethnic grounds as well as on the basis of differences in language, culture, tradition and even topography. Initially, the tract of land (Darjeeling and Kalimpong) belonged to the kingdoms of Sikkim and Bhutan and were taken over by the British through various wars and treaties. The majority of political parties in Bengal have always opposed the division.
Also read: Behind Sikkim’s Firm Aversion to a Darjeeling Merger Is Two Centuries of Politics
In the days of the British Raj, Darjeeling had been a separate administrative arrangement in the form of an excluded area and a partially excluded area. Gorkhas claim that the first voice of separation had been raised in 1909 by the Hillmen’s Association, demanding a separate administrative arrangement.
The demand for a separate state for the Gorkhas gained momentum under the GNLF in the 1980s. The boundary of the proposed state consist of the Darjeeling Hills and contiguous areas of the foothills of Terai and Dooars in the districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar.
File photo of protests for a separate Gorkha state. Photo: PTI
Recently, some of the BJP’s elected public representatives in North Bengal have been raising the demand for a separate state of North Bengal, to be made up of eight districts. Political observers opine that the demand is being raised by the saffron brigade to foment trouble and create unrest in the state after having been routed in the recently-concluded West Bengal Assembly elections. The BJP, having fared comparatively better in the northern districts, has a slight edge in the region over the ruling dispensation.
Also read: Can North Bengal Afford Another Political Unrest Even as BJP Fuels Statehood Demand?
Interestingly, there are ethnic groups demanding separate states in the plains of Terai and Dooars too. Prominent among these demands are those of Kamtapur and Greater Cooch Behar. The boundaries of the proposed states overlap with each other.
The GNLF, led by Subash Ghising, had launched a violent agitation in 1986 which had resulted in the loss of many lives. After 28 months, the agitation culminated in a 40-day-long bandh. The Union, the state and GNLF agreed to constitute an administrative setup – the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) – for the Hills.
On October 7, 2007, disgruntled GNLF leader Bimal Gurung floated the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). The GJM managed to oust Ghising and the GNLF from the Hills. In turn, they resurrected the Gorkhaland agitation. After several rounds of talks among the GJM, the state and the Union, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) took shape in 2012, thereby replacing the DGHC.
Since then, the Hills have witnessed a number of agitations and a series of bandhs triggered by Gurung and the GJM.
In 2017, Gurung spawned an agitation declaring that the TMC-led West Bengal government would forcefully impose the Bengali language on the Hills. The agitation turned violent and culminated in a 105-day bandh. Gurung and his aides had then fled the Hills. Later, the GJM witnessed a vertical split, with Binoy Tamang and Anit Thapa taking control of a faction of the morcha.
The BJP had aligned with the GJM in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. With assurances of “sympathetically considering the long pending demands of the Gorkhas”, they managed to bag the Darjeeling seat with landslide victories in both elections.
In 2019, with assurances of a permanent political solution for the Hills, the BJP emerged victorious in Darjeeling yet again.
Also read: Anti-BJP Sentiments Stir Darjeeling Amidst Drastic Changes in Hill Party Equations
‘Historic talks’ called without pressure from a bandh or agitation
Commenting on the October 12 talks called by the home ministry, Bista said, “It is historic. The talk has been called without an agitation. We should be thankful to the prime minister and Union home minister for being so considerate. The process to find a solution to the Gorkha impasse will begin with the meeting.”
Shedding light on the meeting, Bista claimed that it will be tripartite in nature and an invite has already been sent to the state government. “Invitations have been sent to selective public representatives and leaders of BJP alliance parties. There will be representatives from Dooars also,” Bista said.
BJP MLA from Darjeeling Raju Bista. Photo: Facebook/Raju Bista
When questioned on the date, Bista justified it by saying “Dassain (Dussehra) and Diwali come every year. However, this meeting is more important and is equivalent of the largest Dassain for the Gorkhas. It is a dream come true. The meeting is a victory for the Gorkhas.”
The GNLF embarked on a poster campaign in the Hills on Wednesday, thanking the Union government for calling the talks.
A face-saver meeting for the BJP and its allies
“By personal invitations being sent out, this in no way can be an official government meeting. How can a particular political outfit and alliance decide the fate of the Gorkhas? This must be an internal meeting of the BJP alliance. It is sad to see that the home minister does not know the difference between an official government meeting and a party meeting, hence only BJP and alliance leaders are being invited,” said S.P. Sharma, general secretary of the All India Gorkha League (AIGL, Bharati Tamang faction).
A similar opinion has been expressed by the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM). “The entire matter is vague. It seems like an internal meeting of the BJP. Why call the meeting on October 12, the day of a state holiday and Phulpati, one of the most important festivals of the Gorkhas?” asked Keshav Raj Pokhrel, spokesperson of the BGPM.
“The government has not betrayed the Hills once but has done it multiple times. We have seen this for the past 18 years. The letter that has come is just eyewash. They will not do anything for the Gorkhas. Even if we get an invite, we will not attend. We have lost all faith in the BJP-run government,” said Bimal Gurung.
Gurung has prophesied that nothing concrete will emerge from the talks and that the parties meeting will cite the absence of the West Bengal government as a reason to set a fresh date for talks. Fresh dates will keep on emerging till it is time for the 2024 Parliamentary elections, Gurung predicted.
“Then the BJP will say that the PPS is ready and that it will be implemented as soon as they come to power in 2024. They will again ask for votes in the name of the PPS. The BJP are not at all sincere about the Gorkhas,” said Gurung.
The rebel Gorkha leader instead, expressed confidence in West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. “Mamata Banerjee lives up to her commitments. She has assured us of a permanent political solution. We should bank on her and ask her to raise her voice for our demand in Delhi,” Gurung said.
Ajoy Edwards, who recently parted ways with the GNLF, stated “We the people have given our all out [support] to the BJP for the last 13 years, with nothing to show for it till date.”
The TMC has expressed similar doubts. “How can this be the format of an invitation to official tripartite talks? Why is it being held on a state government holiday? What is the design behind all this,” asked N.B. Khawas, TMC spokesperson for Kalimpong and Darjeeling.
Politics of tripartite talks
Tripartite talks have always played a major role in Hill politics. However, there have been instances in the past of tripartite talks being used to bowl googlies on the pitch of Hill politics.
In 2017, an agitation had been launched by GJM president Gurung. It soon turned violent and clashes broke out between security forces and agitators. Despite all this, the Union government looked the other way and the BJP MP from Darjeeling stayed away from the Hills, his own constituency.
The agitation culminated in a 105-day-long bandh which was lifted following assurances of tripartite talks by the then home minister, Rajnath Singh. These talks never took place.
The Union government had called for tripartite talks again on August 7, 2020 with the agenda of “issues relating to Gorkhaland”. However, within days the agenda was changed to “issues relating to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)”. The meeting took place, but the state government and GTA did not take part.
In the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, “permanent political solution” once again made its way onto the BJP election manifesto. Dangling the carrot, the BJP bagged both the Darjeeling and Kurseong assembly seats, backed by the GNLF and other regional parties.
Opposition parties started mounting pressure on Bista and the BJP to devise the promised PPS after the assembly elections were over.
The BJP’s failure even to work on the PPS drove Sharma to launch a fast unto death from August 1, demanding Bista’s resignation from the post of MP. While protests by opposition parties continued in the Hills, the BJP and its allies made a beeline for Delhi to coax the home minister to call a tripartite meeting.
Finally, an “unofficial” delegation led by Bista met with Amit Shah in Delhi on August 6. Following the meeting, Bista announced that the home minister had assured him that talks on the PPS would be held in the first week of September. With Bista’s statement, Sharma had lifted the fast on the evening of August 6.
Of garlands and self immolation
With the promised talks not taking place in the first week of September, the AIGL started taking out processions in Darjeeling with effigies of Bista donning a garland of shoes. Kalyan Dewan, BJP president in Kalimpong and Darjeeling had lodged an FIR against the AIGL leaders, specifically Sharma and vice-president Vikram Adi Rai.
“They took out a rally with the effigy of MP Raju Bista garlanded with shoes. This act is inappropriate and demeaning. We have lodged an FIR,” said Dewan.
Bista then claimed that Amit Shah’s preoccupation with the Afghanistan situation was the reason for the delay in the talks. The GNLF went a step further. Seeking divine intervention by participating in yagnas, they prayed for early tripartite talks. Nothing much came of this.
The effigy rallies by the AIGL continued on a weekly basis. On September 12, Zimba stated, “You can garland me and I will self immolate if the talks are not held in the month of September.”
With September coming to an end with no indication that the talks would take place, the AIGL took out another rally on September 30, this time carrying a banner with featuring a sketch of Amit Shah. Zimba was not to be found in his office in Darjeeling.
“We have not been agitating for a permanent political solution. Both tripartite talks and a permanent political solution are closed chapters henceforth. We demand that a bill for Gorkhaland be tabled in parliament this winter session,” demanded Sharma.
