How often have we heard the term Kanchi Ama ko Chora being used in reference to the treatment that the Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong gets from the State and Center Governments. Kanchi Ama ko Chora is a term which in English means “Step motherly treatment”.
Well, not all step mothers are evil and cruel as depicted in fairy tales- I had one and she was an angel so I am skeptical about using this term but for want of a better one I am forced to use it. But, yes, the fact is that the Darjeeling Hills have, more often than not, been left stranded with a begging bowl in hand, even as other much more affluent communities and geographical locations have walked away with the entire apple pie while we were left licking the backside of the bowl.
The all too familiar story has repeated itself once again in the National Budget that our Finance Minister just announced in Parliament a few days back. Forget the rest of the budget, which in any case, in my opinion is another kick in the face of the already crippled middle class in India, and let us just focus on the flood relief allotments that the respected FM has announced.
She announced a whopping Rs. 11,500 crores for flood control measures in Bihar while also allotting undisclosed amounts to Uttarakhand, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. While we have no reasons to envy the States which have benefited from the generosity of the Finance Minister we definitely have to feel aggrieved about not receiving a penny despite the total destruction and mayhem that our region experienced after the 4th October GLOF. While the GLOF that took place can be attributed to an ACT OF GOD (some may dispute this) what is happening now, definitely has negligence, callousness, insensitivity, discrimination, partisanship and maltreatment written all over it. It is as though, we who live in this part of the world are second grade citizens of this land.
I wonder why this discrimination??? Darjeeling has given the BJP representation in the Parliament several times over, we have given them MLAs in two of the three Hill seats, we have given them Panchayat seats in the last elections- what else do they need for them to realize that we too deserve some attention? Or have the powers that be, who decide policies in the central level, not been informed that scores of houses have been wash away in the last few months, the NH 10 has been closed for the last 26 days now, the river is flowing on the highway in several places, the Teesta bed has risen by almost 20 feet and that life as such for people living along the Teesta is one which has turned to hell.
Had the Central budget even allotted a small percentage of the amount that it allotted to Bihar (Rs. 11500 crores) we would have not felt we are Kanchi ama to choras.
Frankly at the moment we feel unwanted, uncared, neglected, ignored and abandoned.
No wonder we want a separate state for ourselves.
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