Whither Gorkhaland?

The Lost Gorkha IdentityThe only scourge to our Identity crisis is a state called Gorkhaland

Here’s a look at some of the new states that have been formed in India, while  the demand for Gorkhaland state (earlier referred to as administrative set up separate than West Bengal) which is 110 years old, continues to fester

MEGHALAYA
Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: theUnited Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills on 21 January 1972. Before attaining full statehood, Meghalaya was given semi-autonomous status in 1970.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Formerly known as the North East Frontier Agency (from theBritish colonial era), the area was part of Assam until it was made the Indian union territory of Arunachal Pradesh in 1972, and in 1987 it became an Indian state.

NALALAND
The interim body was dissolved on 30 November 1963 and the state of Nagaland was formally inaugurated on 1 December 1963 and Kohima was declared as the state capital. After elections in January 1964, the first democratically electedNagaland Legislative Assembly was constituted on 11 February 1964.

MANIPUR
The Manipur Constitution Act of 1947 established a democratic form of government, with the Maharaja as the executive head. Faced with Burma’s ambitions to take over the state, in 1949, Maharaja Bodhchandra went to Shillong, where he signed the instrument of accession to merge the kingdom into India instead.

TRIPURA
The Maharani Regent of Tripura signed the Tripura Merger Agreement on 9 September 1949, as a result of which Tripura became a Part C state of India. It became a Union Territory, without a legislature, in November 1956 and an elected ministry was installed in July 1963.

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MIZORAM
The tribal districts of Assam including Lushai Hills were declared “Excluded Area” in 1935. It was during the British regime that a political awakening among the Mizos in Lushai Hills started taking shape the first political party, the Mizo Common People’s Union was formed on 9 April 1946. On 21 January 1972 official declaration of UT was made with the name Mizoram. Mizoram was allotted two seats in Parliament, one each in the Lok Sabha and in the Rajya Sabha. Mizoram became a federal state of India on 20 February 1987.

UTTARAKHAND
Uttarakhand was formed in 2000 from the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh, India.

GORKHALAND
Prior to 1861:Non Regulated Area
1861-70: Regulated Area
1870-74: Non Regulated Area

1874-1919:Scheduled District
1919-1935:Backward Tract
1935-47: Partially Excluded Area

Post Independence
1956: Merged into West Bengal
1988-2010: Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC)
2011- till date: Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)

2017: ……. ??????


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