Darjeeling Municipality Elections and the Gorkha Political Future
Elections to Darjeeling Municipality have never been so consequential. Will it pave way for new regionalism or sabotage the Gorkhaland statehood demand forever?
Elections to Darjeeling Municipality have never been so consequential. Will it pave way for new regionalism or sabotage the Gorkhaland statehood demand forever?
Of late, we have all read multiple reports of Police Complaints being filed against those politicians who have raised the demand for the establishment of a Union Territory comprising of North Bengal districts.
“Prudent Voters Can See the Change in the Horizon” argues our guest contributor Ranjan Sharma* in this election special article In a democracy, the citizens…
For all his flaws, Bimal Gurung is still liked by a large section of the people from North Bengal. Especially in remote rural regions where politicians rarely venture, Bimal Gurung is seen as someone who has cared for the people. But will this sentiment prevail across the region? It’s difficult to say. But in tying his fate to TMC and also himself, Bimal has made a bold move, will it help him bounce back or will it backfire?
Now, with the announcement of poll dates by the Election Commission for the West Bengal Assembly elections and the state going into the electoral mode, for the first time in the Darjeeling Hills, the century-old emotive issue of Gorkhaland is conspicuous by its absence, as it has been put to the back burner by the principal parties GJMM 1 and 2 after almost a decade.
Often described as the Queen of the Hills for its stunning natural beauty, complemented by the world-famous and UNESCO world heritage – the Himalayan Railway, also holding an intoxicating political history the Darjeeling hills does not fail to mesmerize the tourists as well as the scholars. It is sad but not surprising that the Queen of the Himalayas has always been a victim of political betrayal (Dhoka) and there is neither a “ Queen” like leader, nor a permanent “Hills” like solution to achieve its true potentials.
आफ्नो कार्यकालको पहिलो चुनावी जनसभामा भारतीय जनता पार्टीका प्रधानमंत्री पदका उम्मेद्वार स्वयंले लाखौं जनताको अघि गोर्खाको सपना मेरो सपना भन्ने प्रतिश्रुति दिंदै पछिबाट बिजयी भएर प्रधानमंत्री समेत भएर आफ्नो दोस्रो प्रधान मंत्रीत्वकालसम्म पनि गोर्खाहरूको निम्ति सपना नै नदेख्नु चुनाव अघिका यस्ता ठूला ठूला वाचा र अश्वासनहरू र चुनाव सकेपछि मौन धारण गर्ने राजनैतिक दल र नेताहरूको यस्ता चरित्र माछा माछा भ्यागुताकै कथा जस्तो लाग्छ।
बंगाल सरकारकै शरणमा बसेर मुद्दासँग छौँ भनेर यदि कसैले भन्छ भने त्यो वाहियात लाग्न सक्छ । यहाँको वर्तमान सत्ता जतिसक्दो कुनै पनि अन्य व्यवस्था अथवा केन्द्रको सुधार प्रक्रिया पहाड नभित्रीउन भन्ने पक्षमा छन् । यदि कुनै अन्य दल हुनु हो भने पनि त्यो दलको स्तर यहाँबाट माथी उठ्ने अपेक्षा बेकार जान्थ्यो । मुद्दाको अवस्था सुध्रिनु नसक्नुको मुख्य कारण दलहरुको यहि स्वार्थपरक सत्तामुखी सोच हो ।
After a hard fought andolan of 4-years from 2007 to 2011, finally the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Agreement was signed between the Center, WB Govt and GJM representatives. The invitation, specifically to GJM is clearly for the resumption of the dialogue from where the center had left it in 2011. The File Number at the top of the letter, F.NO. 12013/01/2011-SR is a dead giveaway. In probability the invitation wasn’t sent to other political parties, as they were not a part of the GTA Agreement.
Subramanian Swamy had tweeted in many states we had made promises we could not keep. Gorkhaland is top priority. Must make it a Union Territory as promised