Gorkhaland - A Synopsis of the Demand

20 Jun 2017 – In View of the Gorkhaland Agitation

Because opinions are important, information becomes more important.

Many people across India are curious about the Gorkhaland issue, but most of them do
not know very much about the issue and are under the false impression that
Gorkhaland is a demand by the Gorkhas for separation from India. Hence, the following
paragraphs would help those not familiar with the Gorkhaland issue to understand the
entirety of the issue.

Q. Who are Gorkhas in the Indian context?

A. The 'Gorkhas' in the Indian context are Indian citizens of Nepali ethnicity, who live
across the length and breadth of India. The term 'Gorkha' in the Indian context is used
to differentiate the Indian citizens of Nepali ethnicity from the citizens of Nepal, who
prefer to be called 'Nepalese.'

Many a time, people mistake the Indian 'Gorkhas' with Nepalese 'Gorkhali'. It is to be
noted that in terms of Nepal, 'Gorkhali' refers to the people from the 'Gorkha' region.
However, the use of the term 'Gorkha' in the Indian context is very different than in
Nepal's context. Therefore, the term 'Gorkha' refers to different groups of people
depending on the country they are being used in reference to.

Q. Did the Gorkhas immigrate to India?

A. Majority of the people who identify themselves as 'Gorkhas' in India are sons and
daughters of the soil, and their forefathers 'came with the land.' They did not immigrate
to India. However, it is well recognized that there are many immigrants from Nepal, who
have also settled in India, post-independence.

Q. What do you mean by 'came with the land'?

A.The Nepali kingdom in the 17th and 18th Century was spread all over the Himalayas.
In the year 1777, Nepal had appropriated the Kingdom of Sikkim (that included most of
the present day Darjeeling district) in the east and had also successfully invaded and
conquered the Kingdoms of Kumaon, Garhwal and Kangra in the west. The Nepali
Kingdom was spread from the east of rivers Teesta to the west of river Sutlej.

However, following the Anglo-Nepal war of 1814-1816, Nepal agreed to cede most of
the Terai region, the lands of Sikkim, Kumaon, Garhwal and Kangra to the British
through the Treaty of Sugauli (Sugauli Sandhi), which was signed on 4 March 1816.
After the Anglo-British war of 1865, the British appropriated the lands that are today
known as Kalimpong and Dooars. Therefore, all the people of Nepali, Sikkimese and
Bhutanese origin, who were living in these tracts automatically came under the British
and subsequently under India (after the British left), hence the term – 'came with the
land.'

Q. Were there Gorkhas in Darjeeling region prior to the British coming to India?
A.Recorded history shows that the region was inhabited as early as the 9th century.
When Guru Padmasambhava had passed through this region in the 9th century, he had
established Buddhism in the region – which indicates the presence of people living in
the area way, before the British ever landed in Asia.

In the Indian context, the word 'Gorkha' is an umbrella term used to identify a varied
group of people, as one unified entity, in terms of Darjeeling, communities such as the
Róng – Lepchas, the Tsong – Limbus, the Kirat – Rai, the Dukpas and the Magars are
the aboriginal/ethnic/native people of the region, who constitute a large chunk of the
'Gorkha' people living in the Darjeeling region. Hence, it can be safely said that the
majority of the 'Gorkhas,' who belong to these communities and are living in Darjeeling,
ethnic to the region.

In addition, other groups of people such as the Gurungs, Thapas, Chettris, Newars,
Sunwars, Bahuns, Kamis, Damais, Sarkis, Bhutias, Thamis etc., came to the region
following subsequent wars. For instance, the establishment of the Kingdom of Sikkim in
1642 brought in a large Bhutia population from Tibet and Bhutan into the region.
Similarly, the Nepali incursions starting from as early as 1700s brought many present
day Nepalis to the region. Hence, it can be safely concurred that the 'Gorkha' presence
far supersedes the British arrival in the region.

Q. What historical claims does West Bengal have over the Darjeeling-Dooars
region?
A.Ironically None! There is no shared history between the Darjeeling-Dooars region,
and the rest of West Bengal till the year 1935. The only common thread that connects
Darjeeling and the rest of Bengal prior to 1935 is that they shared a common Governor
(for administrative ease).

It is interesting to note that following the partition of Bengal in 1905, the administration
of Darjeeling was handed over to the Bhagalpur Division in Bihar Presidency between
1905-1907, following which a demand for a separate administrative unit for the
Darjeeling-Dooars region (a la Separate State in today's terms) was first raised by the
Hillmen's Association in 1907, making the demand for a separate state constituting the
hills, Terai and Dooars region the oldest demand for statehood in India.

The only reason as to why such a demand was not entertained by the British
Government, is because the Darjeeling and Dooars region were already declared a
"non-regulated area", which meant that the rules and laws developed for the rest of
India would not be automatically applicable to the region.

Q. Why is Darjeeling a part of West Bengal?

A.The Darjeeling region only became a part of West Bengal Presidency in the year
1935, when it was required to send an elected member to the Bengal Legislative
Assembly. It was done purely for the then administrative ease, as the British could
control the Darjeeling region better from Bengal than from Bhagalpur in Bihar.
Q. Why are people in Darjeeling demanding Gorkhaland?
A.The demand for a separate administrative unit (separate state in today's terms) for the
Darjeeling region had started as early as 1907. However, the influx of Bangladeshi
refugees starting in 1965 and later state sponsored illegal immigrants from Bangladesh
post-1971 for vote bank by subsequent West Bengal governments led to
marginalization of the ethnic Gorkha, Kamtapuri and the Rajbanshi communities of the
region. The demand for Gorkhaland is a demand to protect the identity, culture, history,
traditions and the rich bond of people from Darjeeling region, which they share with their
land.

Furthermore, the Gorkhas from the Darjeeling region have continued to be labeled by
the fascist and state sponsored Bengali organizations such as Bangla O Bangla Bhasa
Bachao Samity, Amra Bangali, Jan Jagaran Morcha, Jan Chetna Morcha as illegal
immigrants and the demand for Gorkhaland illegal. They have rendered the ethnic
Gorkha people as an intruder in his/her own ancestral lands. This has caused
widespread socio-economic and political marginalization of the Gorkhas. All these
factors have resulted in the Gorkhas being under-represented, stereotyped and
communally discriminated in almost all sectors.

Moreover, Bengal has always been colonial in its approach to this region. The large
revenues collected from Darjeeling region have been used to develop other parts of
Bengal, while neglecting even the basic infrastructure in the region.

Case in point: the National Highway 55, which used to be the artery connecting the hills
of Darjeeling to the rest of India, has been closed due to land slide since 2009 and the
West Bengal government has done nothing to rebuild it. Last year alone, there were
over 20 malnutrition related deaths (death due to starvation) reported from the Dooars
region and yet the West Bengal government did nothing to alleviate the sufferings of the
people in the region.

Q. Is the proposed Gorkhaland region economically viable?

A.The proposed Gorkhaland region is rich in bio-diversity, scenic views, hydro
potentials, tourism, NTFP, Tea and numerous other resources. Darjeeling Tea has been
accorded the Geographical Indicator status recently by the WTO, which has caused the
price of Darjeeling Tea to double in the world market. The demand for tea from the
Dooars region is also at an all time high. Even the most conservative estimates put the
revenue potential from tea, tourism and hydro from the proposed Gorkhaland area at
over 1600 Crores per annum. It is estimated that the revenues from Tea and Tourism
alone will make the proposed Gorkhaland region a revenue surplus state. The revenues
collected from hydro development, NTFP, cross-border trades and other resources will
make the proposed state of Gorkhaland as one of the most economically vibrant states
in India.

Q. Is the demand for Gorkhaland illegal?

A. No, to demand for a separate state is the democratic right of every Indian citizen, and
the formation of new states is enshrined in our constitution.
Article 3 of the Indian constitution specifically deals with the issues regarding the
formation of new states:

Article 3. Formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of

existing States. Parliament may by law:-
(a) form a new State by separation of territory from any State or by uniting two or more
States or parts of States or by uniting any territory to a part of any State;
(b) increase the area of any State;
(c) diminish the area of any State;
(d) alter the boundaries of any State;
(e) alter the name of any State:

Hence, the demand for Gorkhaland is a legitimate demand.

Q. Why is West Bengal opposed to the formation of Gorkhaland?

A. The state of West Bengal is one of the most economically backward states in India.
Even though it is the 5th largest in terms of its size, due to the high debt burden of over
Rs. 2.5 lakh Crores, West Bengal is practically bankrupt and is highly dependent on the
Central Government and the revenues generated from the proposed Gorkhaland region
for its sustenance and economic survival. A conservative estimate indicated that if the
proposed Gorkhaland state is formed, West Bengal is expected to lose over 40% of its
revenue stream.

So despite all the rhetoric stating, "Darjeeling is Bengal's Abhinno Aanga," Bengal is
scared of losing its hen, which is currently laying the golden eggs. It is scared of losing
the cash cow that has continued to discount the development of Bengal's other regions
over and over since independence.

Further, Bengal has always held a parochial, colonial and discriminatory attitude
towards the proposed Gorkhaland region and continues to do so. Late. Subash
Chakraborty a Minister in the CPI(M) Government had said to the Gorkhas "Khetey
diyechi, sutey chai?" ("We have given you food to eat, now you want space to sleep?"),
hinting that the Bengalis have been benevolent towards the Gorkhas in allowing the
Gorkhas to live in Bengal, while ungraciously ignoring the fact that the Gorkhas are
ethnic to the land. Similarly, many Bengali scholars (such as Sumanta Sen of The
Telegraph) and politicians (such as Dr. Mukund Majumdar and Mr. Ashok
Bhattacharjee) continue to call the ethnic Gorkhas foreigners and intruders, which gives
a sense of insecurity amongst the ethnic Gorkhas

– thus, the demand for Gorkhaland.