Kolkata: The Bhartiya Janata Party’s top brass is in a fix when it comes to its policy on a separate state for Gorkhaland. Till date, it has tiptoed around the issue, trying to balance its stance to make sure that all stakeholders are on the same page.
But with the protests continuing for more than a fortnight now, it has become increasing difficult to manage expectations as the BJP has neither supported the demand, nor spoken against it.
The agitation is being spearheaded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, an alliance partner of the BJP that helped the party fight the Lok Sabha election in the region. So now it is facing heat from the GJM for not supporting its demand. But if BJP backs Gorkhaland, it risks upsetting its unit in Bengal and halting any progress made in the plains.
Amid all this, the Centre claims to have some formula to resolve the issue as promised in its manifesto before the general elections. Some members of the Darjeeling unit of BJP had recently participated in a protests for a separate state. They slammed the Centre for taking the sentiments of Gorkhas lightly.
On the other hand, the Bengal faction of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has backed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s stand on Gorkhaland.
To take a fresh look at the Gorkhaland issue among other things, the RSS recently held a two-day ‘chintan shivir (brainstorming session)’ in Puri and decided that it is not viable to form a separate state of Gorkhaland.
Jishnu Basu, RSS’s general secretary in South Bengal said the area that would be carved out would be too small for a state.
“First of all it’s not viable to carve out a portion of hills and some terai regions. Second, what will happen to Greater Cooch Behar movement – which is much older than the Gorkhaland demand?” he asked.
He added, “The proposed Gorkhaland comprises of Darjeeling, Dooars and Siliguri terai regions. Present autonomous GTA covers three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik, and some areas of Siliguri subdivision and the whole of Kalimpong district. It’s too small…smaller than Sikkim. Do you think it will be viable for a separate state?”
Basu said it is yet not clear how the economy will be impacted if a separate state is formed. “Our assessment is there will be a total mess and chaos,” he said.
During the meet - RSS reached at the conclusion that TMC’s information and cultural affairs minister, Indranil Sen, was the first to instigate Gorkhas with his derogatory remarks.
In May, before the Municipal Elections in the Hills, Sen had said he would tie up GJM chief Bimal Gurung and secretary Roshan Giri in steel trunks and dispatch them to another district.
“After Sen’s remark, the Chief Minister’s imposition of Bangla language against flared up their anger. We felt that there was no need for such announcement and it was taken in haste,” he said.
“The third observation was formation of 16 development boards in North Bengal including Lepcha board. This sends a signal that CM Mamata Banerjee is trying to divide the Gorkha community. These are the blunders the state government has committed and now the result is there in front of everyone,” he added.
Even Shanta Chhetri – former Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) MLA and an active Trinamool Congress leader – believed that the demand for Gorkhaland is unrealistic.
When asked why she supported the Gorkhaland movement in 90s, she said, “Then I was immature but now I understood that separate state is going to be a bad move for the Gorkhas. People have to understand that this is not possible.” Chhetri is Banerjee’s surprise pick for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election.
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