The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday, April 14, released its manifesto or ‘Sankalp Patra’, with the tagline “Modi ki Guarantee”, for the Lok Sabha election 2024. Their 67-page manifesto, which is more of a big canvas policy statement, has avoided mention of all political issues, including – Gorkha aspirations.
There is no mention of PPS, or inclusion of 11 left-out Gorkha sub-tribes as Schedule Tribes.
The Indian Football Association’s (IFA) circular mentioned that the players had to prove that they were born between 1st January 2008 and 31st December 2009. GHFA had the responsibility of ensuring children qualified and all documentation was completed. Surprisingly, only 6 of the 20 children met the requirements. The rest were rejected due to lack of proper documentation verifying their date of birth. Subsequently, the entire team was disqualified and they did not play a single game in this important tournament.
Not a single regular staff has been appointed by the Government of West Bengal so far! It has been functioning under the mercy of NBU and college teachers in and around the region. Why is there no full-time VC, Registrar, Finance Officer, Controller of Examinations, Librarians and faculty members in the university even after three years of its establishments. Why is the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, the custodian of well-being of Darjeeling hills, not pushing and putting pressure on the state government?
Contrary to claims made by Hamro Party Chief Ajoy Edwards and Congress Candidate Munish Tamang, Congress Manifesto is silent on Gorkhas
Harsh Vardhan Shringla is yet to make his views clear on the issue of “Gorkha Aspirations” but it would also be too premature to rule him out. If he has enough pull in the “corridors of power”, that could be useful for the masses to get their aspirations fulfilled. At worst, he can be similar to the past three BJP MPs.
Despite claims to contrary, it is clear that the BJP central leadership and also BJP West Bengal Unit have not been sincere towards Gorkha aspirations. So definitely they are not happy with Raju Bista constantly raking up the PPS and Gorkha ST issue. It makes them uncomfortable, when a youthful MP reminds them of their constant failure to address these issues. So they would rather have a “Maun-Mohan” than a “Modi” among their ranks. They would rather have someone who strictly toes the party line, and avoids contentious issues like PPS and Gorkha ST. Hence, there is a very strong rumor going around that BJP central leadership is seeking to replace Raju Bista with Harshavardhan Shringla.
Kalimpong sits comfortably on the Himalayan Belt, one of the most earthquake prone areas in the world. As there hasn’t been a major earthquake exceeding M8 in the last fifty years, the town has grown and expanded, seemingly oblivious to the dangers lurking underneath the surface. How many buildings have been built without proper procedures against earthquakes, how many people furnish their houses according to taste rather than safety, and how have you planned for the worst possible scenario?
As a newcomer, you might question your decision to leave the bustling city life behind for this seemingly remote place. However, as time passes, the rustling leaves of majestic trees, the melodious chirping of birds, and the gentle breeze work their magic, infusing an atmosphere of peace and serenity. One can’t help but feel the blessings of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
Teesta has massive siltation level, thus it is certain that the siltation level of the river will raise staggeringly with the construction of a series of dams and the sediment load will be trapped within the reservoirs, reducing their production capacity. This, in turn, could compel dam managers to release water during heavy rainfall, causing sudden flash floods downstream. Further, the NHPC has failed to undertake the study on the cascading effects of Dams (i.e. in case of dam breaking at the top what will happen to subsequent dams), which is likely to occur in coming days.
Every town worth its name has its own set of ghost stories. Kalimpong, considering its various past influences has several sets of it. Its Bhutanese, Colonial, Tibetan and Gorkhali influences have all left behind their ghost who haunt Ghost Story enthusiasts till this day. In fact this town even has Bihari spirits to add to the cosmopolitan flavor.