History repeats itself as 1980s violent Gorkhaland protest rocks WB’s hills in 2017

The ongoing Gorkhaland movement in Darjeeling bears an uncanny resemblance to the agitation that rocked the hills of Bengal in 1980s.

Kolkata, June 21: It looks like as if time has stood still in the salubrious Himalayan hill region of Darjeeling, West Bengal. Almost three decades later since the first big movement for Gorkhaland rocked the hills of the state in the late 1980s; in 2017, Darjeeling is once again witnessing similar passion and determination of the indigenous Gorkhas to get their own homeland.

The faces of the agitation have definitely changed, but the core demand remains the same--a separate state called Gorkhaland to be carved out from Bengal. While in the late 1980s (1986-1988) the movement was led by the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), in 2017 the leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) are spearheading the agitation.

The idea of Gorkhaland has its genesis in the ethno-linguistic-cultural sentiment of the Nepali-speaking people of the hills, who allege that in spite of being Indians they are treated as second-class citizens both within and outside Bengal.

The supporters of the Gorkhaland movement stress that successive central and state governments have long denied the natives their rights to have their own state to be governed by their own people for their own betterment.

The old-timers in Darjeeling vividly remember those days when the hills were turned into a "mini-war zone" in the late 1980s. The young and old came out on the streets to demand for their own homeland.

Today, they see a similar pattern as the indefinite bandh called by the GJM entered the 10th day on Wednesday. On Saturday, the violent protest took an ugly turn when three supporters of the GJM were allegedly killed in a police firing.

The 1986-88 movement of the GNLF under the stewardship of Subhash Ghisingh led to the establishment of a semi-autonomous body, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), in 1988, to govern certain areas of Darjeeling district.

However, in 2007, the GJM, then in its nascent stage, raised the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland once again.

In 2010-2011, the Gorkhaland agitation saw a new turn after local leaders fought among themselves and Madan Tamang, a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL), was allegedly stabbed to death by GJM supporters on May 21, 2010, in Darjeeling.

Afterwards, on February 8, 2011, three GJM leaders were shot dead by the police when they tried to enter Jalpaiguri district. The violent episode further ignited the movement under the leadership of GJM chief Bimal Gurung which finally came to an end with the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

The GJM on Tuesday, during an all-party meeting of the pro-Gorkhaland forces, announced its withdrawal from the GTA--a semi-autonomous administrative body for the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills formed in 2011 in the state.

The irony is that the GJM has been heading the GTA since the first election took place in 2012. Now, the question is whether the entire GTA will be disbanded as nobody is there to control its affairs?

During the meeting, the supporters of Gorkhaland decided to continue with the indefinite protest till security forces are not withdrawn from the streets of Darjeeling. They also want an immediate restoration of the internet connection.

With each passing day, the support for Gorkhaland is increasing as former foes have turned into friends to fulfill their long pending demand. From the GJM, the GNLF (considered arch-rival of the GJM), Jan Andolan Party (JAP), All-Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL), Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha (GRNM), Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) to the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM), it looks like all political parties in the hills are united for the cause of Gorkhaland.

Even the local Trinamool Congress leaders have gone against their Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and are raising pro-Gorkhaland slogans. Similarly, the local Bharatiya Janata Party leaders too have joined the Gorkhaland brigade, in spite of their bosses in Delhi maintaining a 'wait and watch policy' over the violence and turmoil in the region.

From commoners to politicians, all stand united in their demand for a separate state in spite of CM Banerjee rubbishing the ongoing agitation as a "ploy by vested interest groups".

"Such unity among the people of the hills was last witnessed in the 1980s. Gorkhaland is a sentiment of the people of the hills, which you cannot afford to ignore. It can be suppressed for some time but can't be wiped out," JAP chief Harka Bahadur Chetri said.

"Gorkhaland is not a political rhetoric, but a sentiment and a passion which has grown stronger over the years," said another leader from a Darjeeling-based party.

As the "people's movement" shows no signs of ending, both CM Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have to soon take a call to break the deadlock and bring back normalcy in the hills.

OneIndia News