BY BARUN ROY

I met an old friend from Calcutta today who asked me why I was so doggone interested in praying for people who were determined to divide Bengal. The friend who is a regular traveller from Calcutta was also disturbed by the strikes because it spoiled his vacation in Darjeeling. I was greatly saddened by my friend’s view on the present situation. However, what he thought or believed was symptomatic of what and how Calcutta viewed about things taking place in Darjeeling Hills. They believe that the demand for the state of Gorkhaland is a racist demand intended to break up Bengal. They say that since people from all ethnic backgrounds live in Darjeeling Hills, the demand for Gorkhaland (with implication on the state being called the land of the Gorkhas) is against the ethos of the Constitution of the nation. They further say that the district of Darjeeling is far better than other districts in the state. They also imply that Gorkhas have no rights to demand a state of their own in India because they have a country, Nepal. A section further goes on to imply that while they have tried to offer some restitute to the Gorkhas, the Gorkhas have proved, that they cannot rule themselves as witnessed by the functioning of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

I am afraid, the Calcutta centric politicians and elitists have begun losing grips over reality. What ails Darjeeling Hills today has spread over half of Bengal. Bengal is the only state today where people are demanding for the formation of 3 separate states. The rise of the Maoists insurgency has been greater than it ever has as there are daily gun battles being fought in the Central and Southern Bengal. There are villages and places merely 50 to 60 kilometers from Calcutta, where the villagers have not yet seen a public transport. And while the Calcutta centric politicians and the elitists engage in an unending debate drinking Darjeeling Tea, they forget that the Bhadralok’s version of Bengal only exists inside the Coffee Houses of Calcutta and beyond that there is nothing but deprivation, dejection and poverty. And the marks of the fangs of this serpent of poverty, dejection and deprivation can be seen on the necks of Bengalis, Tribals and Gorkhas and more so the tribals, whether they are Oraon, Totos, Santhals, Kochs, Yakthungbas, Khambus, Dhimals, Danuwars and so on spread across South, Central and North Bengal.

Today, the aboriginal people feel that the elitists and the politicians based in Calcutta have failed them. They have failed to understand their problems and above all failed to want to understand their problems. Wrapped in their imaginary wonder world they have forgotten that while those in Cities might be living the dream, those in the millions spread across the villages and tea gardens are living a nightmare, with no hope of the same ever ending.

In Darjeeling Hills, the Gorkhas want the formation of the separate state of Gorkhaland. They believe that the formation of the separate state of Gorkhaland will not just give them the right to self determination, it will once and for all the lay to rest the question of their identity. They further believe that much like in Bengal, where people of all race and caste and religion live even though the state is named Bengal and by meaning thereof, a state belonging to Bengali people, people of all race and caste and religion could live amicably in Gorkhaland. They further argue that if the demand for the formation of Gorkhaland is a racist demand and against the ethos of the Constitution, why then is the existence of such states as Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Orrisa etc, a Constitutional travesty if by name they suggest they are the land of Bengalis, Tamils and Oriyas respectively. Certainly, the name of these states should immediately be changed into for example West State, South State or South Western State if the ethos of the Constitution were to be upheld rendering the demand of the separate state of Gorkhaland or at least the name in which it is demanded redundant. But would that be possible? Would the names of the states based on Linguistic denominations be transformed into more involving democratic states? In all probability, the Bengalis in Bengal, the Tamils in Tamil Nadu or the Oriyas in Orissa would rise up in arms stating that any such attempts would spell an end to their existence. Why then, the Gorkhas argue, the demand for the state of Gorkhaland be deemed as a racist demand.

The issue of the citizenship of the Gorkhas has been put to the rest by the Gazette Notification of the Government of India. As for the infiltration of the Nepali citizens into Bengal, the Gorkhas stress could be easily taken care of by initiating visa system for travel between India and Nepal. In fact, the Gorkhas have been demanding the revision of the 1956 Indo Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, closing the border and initiating visa system for travel. This is also vitally important in the present terrorist threats to the nation. The open border between India and Nepal are being used by Terrorists of all shades and hues including those with affiliation with Al Qaeda and the Taliban and of course the Maoists insurgents who have racked havoc in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar and Bengal and of course Nepal itself. Nepal too has suffered due to the open border. With the border closed and visa travel system initiated, the Gorkhas in India with proper papers would be much like Bengalis in Bengal easily distinguishable from a Bangladeshi. The Gorkhas, as bona fide citizens of India, have every right to demand from their Government any political or administrative right guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Gorkhas in the district of Darjeeling along with their fellow citizens from other communities and ethnic background from the region believe that the potential of the district spread across Darjeeling Hills and the Dooar Terai is immense and if indeed the full potential of the District was ever reached the District would rank second only to Calcutta, turning it into a most prosperous district in the state and probably the entire north east of India, which actually it was until after the first decade of the independence of the nation.

The Gorkhas further argue that the Calcutta centric politicians and elitists have actually gone contrary to the aspirations of the people of the region and economic theories of Macro-Economy by establish Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) dedicated to the development of the city of Siliguri and the parts of the district of Jalpaiguri overlooking the parts of the subdivision of Siliguri, and the subdivisions of Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling. The rationale of the same has also been the “washing off hands” from the responsibility towards Darjeeling Hills and parts of Darjeeling Dooars through the formation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. The Gorkhas argue, “The politicians in Calcutta ask us what you have done with the money sent for Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. If the Government was so concerned that the money was being misused or that the developmental works were not being carried out or their efforts not reaching the people, why did they not for once in the last 23 years of the DGHC’s existence audited its finance. The Government of West Bengal was responsible for the functioning of the DGHC as the DGHC was established by an Act of the State Legislative Assembly which gave the over all power over the DGHC to the Government of West Bengal. Indeed the State Government could make and break the General Council of DGHC as and when it desired. But it did not do so because; it wanted Subash Ghisingh, the GNLF Supremo to rule over Darjeeling Hills on its behalf. It was only forced to remove Subash Ghisingh after a mass popular movement rose up against Ghisingh. True that the Tea Gardens and the Cinchona plantations are on their deathbed and a lot of factors are responsible for the same, the Government of West Bengal and the particularly the Calcutta centric politicians and elitists who sip their morning cup of Darjeeling chai think all is well as long as they are served their morning cup of Darjeeling.”

The Gorkhas argue while all the districts in the state deserve equal treatment and attention by the Government, there are some who need and deserve more attention because they are special – Much like some parents having to care more and offer more attention to a special child, so that that special child could grow and support the parents in the future and make them proud and happy. Districts like Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri if developed to the fullest extent could support developmental activities in other districts and thereby add to the revenue and the general well being of the entire state itself.

In all the Calcutta centric politicians and elitists who read reports on newspapers and remind themselves of things they have heard or the experiences they have had during their childhood in Darjeeling and formulate their opinions based on the same fail to understand that much like the British they have become Colonialists looking down upon their own people as half educated, half rated people, who live as they do because that is all they are good for and who dream what they dream, because dreams are for dreaming… they have forgotten that what ails Darjeeling Hills is symptomatic of what is ailing the entire state.

The Calcutta Centric politicians and elitists must wake up and realize that Calcutta is not the Capital of the British Empire and they are not the British ruling over a colony. They must wake up and hear the cries of the mothers in Bankura, Midnapore, Hooghly, Nandigram, Murshidabad, Purulia, Nagarkata and Darjeeling. Whether these mothers are mourning the death of their son, who had been forced to join with the Maoists and rebel against the state, or a Gorkha to demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland or just an grief consumed man who could not take the atrocities of the Government and rose up to protest… before it is too late…

The Calcutta Centric politicians and elitists must get out of Calcutta and venture into the real Bengal. They must reach out to the people in the villages and tea gardens. All the people spread across the state be they Santhals, Oraons, Totos, Dhimals, Danuwars, Gorkhas and Bengalis and others must be given their rights, a chance to grow to their fullest potential so that they could serve the state and the nation and the entire humanity. Else it might be too late, and what we experience today might merely be the beginnings of a great storm, a storm of revolution, gathering itself in the horizon – A storm that could engulf not just a few parts of the state but the entire state!

(The Himalayan Beacon)

DARJEELING: Ritabrat Bandhopadhyay of the West Bengal Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party has refuted BJP Darjeeling Member of Parliament Jaswant Singh’s statement that “The state of Gorkhaland must be formed to resolve the long standing demand of the Gorkhas”. Bandhopadhyay said, “Jaswant Singh is known speak out of line. Whatever, he has said, is his personal opinion and not the official stand of the party on the issue of the formation of the separate state of Gorkhaland. The Bharatiya Janata Party does not support the formation of the separate state of Gorkhaland. Our party manifesto of 2009 does not specify anywhere that we support the formation of the state of Gorkhaland. It was mentioned that we would work for the rights of the Gorkhas and other tribal people in the region.”

Bandhopadhyay’s statement has brought about in open the difference in stand between the Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party and some of the national leadership of the party including the party MP from Darjeeling Jaswant Singh. Singh was not available for the comment.

(http://thehimalayanbeacon.com/magazine/2011/02/11/breaking-news-state-bjp-pradesh-committee-refutes-jaswant-singhs-statement-formation-gorkhaland/)

In a “departure-eve” message, Gandhi, whose tenure at the Bengal Raj Bhavan ends tomorrow, said: “Our stunningly beautiful parvatmahal has been going through a tense period. The Eastern Himalaya have been a source of oxygen for our state. We should ask ourselves if we have given to it as much as we have derived from it. We would do well to try to enquire as to why our Gorkha brothers and sisters feel as they do.”

But the governor asked the GJM leaders, too, to introspect. “They must ask themselves if in our democracy any public aspiration, howsoever constitutional, should be articulated by unconstitutional methods. Looking upon their fellow citizens in West Bengal as their compatriot brothers and sisters, they must put across their aspirations in a spirit of mutual trust and understanding. The cosmopolitan and broad-minded traditions of Darjeeling have been India’s pride. I am sure these traditions will remain unharmed.”

The appeal came on the eve of the launch of a four-day bandh in Darjeeling following the Centre’s announcement on initiating the process to grant Telangana statehood.

The governor urged the GJM to keep faith in the dialogue process and call off a “fast unto death” by 105 people in the hills.

“The tripartite talks opened by the governments offer the best road map and it is my earnest hope that they will lead to a satisfactory resolution. I urge those who are fasting for Gorkhaland to give up that form of agitation because the tripartite process is now on and must proceed in an atmosphere conducive to negotiation,” the governor said in the message.

The fourth round of tripartite talks is scheduled on December 21 in Darjeeling in the presence of the Centre-appointed interlocutor, Vijay Madan. Earlier tripartite meetings were held in Delhi. But the Morcha has turned sceptical about the talks after the Telangana promise.

Busy preparing for tomorrow’s bandh, the Morcha appeared to stonewall the appeal. “We have not received any written communication from the governor. We cannot react till then,” Binay Tamang, assistant secretary of the Morcha, said in Darjeeling.

The governor’s 12-page, 2,967-word message covered almost every aspect of life in Bengal, singing hosannas to the state and raising several issues close to his heart but not desisting from pointing out flaws.

Gandhi renewed a call to end political violence, stressing the need to bring Bengal out of the debris of bhangchur, bandhs and bomabaji. He denounced “Maoist” violence — the statement used inverted commas while twice referring to the group — saying it is not only “incompatible with a political democracy but is repugnant to it”.

“Unless all inter-party, inter-cadre or inter-supporter violence is halted, West Bengal will suffer irretrievable damage…. No party should countenance the use of unauthorised arms….

“It is a matter of great regret that distrust between different political entities and personalities, as also within institutions such as our universities, is disfiguring life in our state. We have to rectify this situation by changing our conditioned mindsets,” he said at a time campus violence is also flaring up.

He referred to the cycle of retribution in the state. “The choice before West Bengal should not be between the wrong-doing of one and the counter wrong-doing of another…. The choice has to be between chaos and civility, disorder and decorum.”

After condemning Maoist violence, he did bring up the issue of neglect as in the case of the Darjeeling hills. “A new chapter of ecologically intelligent and culturally sensitive progress needs to be opened for the long-neglected and exploited people of that region.”

The farewell letter followed a tea party that was attended by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Mamata Banerjee but separately (see Metro). The two political rivals did not come face to face, unlike last time during the Singur agitation when the governor set the stage for their first-ever meeting that eventually failed to break the land deadlock.

The governor fleetingly referred to the skirmishes, too. “My experience of life would have been one-sided had my tenure not received the dart of criticism from personalities in our public life. I shall assume that I have deserved such criticism. But I would like to say that I bear no resentment whatsoever about it,” he said. (The Telegraph)

Gurung dismisses relevance of tripartite meeting, says ‘people losing patience, want immediate results’

“Our agitations will be peaceful. But if the law and order situation goes haywire in the Hills, the Centre will be responsible. If they can consider Telangana, why not Gorkhaland?” asked Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung on Sunday while hinting at the possibility of violence erupting in Darjeeling and surrounding areas if their demand for a separate state is not fulfilled.

Describing the four-day bandh in the Hills as their “last battle” to get a separate Gorkhaland, Gurung warned the Central government to consider the matter seriously.

Gurung said that everything will come to a standstill during the four-day strike from December 14 to December 17 in the Hills, including movement of government and police vehicles.

“The people of Darjeeling are losing patience and now they want results rather than meeting after meeting,” said the GJM chief.

Delivery of essential services like fire services, examinations, LPG gas, marriage, funeral, and media will be exempted from the bandh purview. Sources said that the superintendent of police and the district magistrate have requested GJM leaders to not stop their vehicles from plying in the area.

“We have considered their request. I have also asked all my activists to ensure that no tourist is harassed. We have already set up several assistance booths across the Hills to assist tourists. Those needing any help or wanting to lodge a complaint may consult our men in these centres,” Gurung said.

Dismissing the December 21 tripartite meeting on the Gorkhaland issue involving the GJM, West Bengal government and Centre, Gurung said, “The meeting has lost its relevance. There is no point in discussion. We want immediate results.”

Gurung expressed his displeasure at Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s recent statements against Gorkhaland.

“They are senior political leaders and have the right to speech. He (Pranab) is speaking politics and we are speaking about rights. I request Pranab babu to understand that it is in the Centre’s hand to maintain peace in the Hills. This land is ours and it does not belong to Mamata Banerjee,” said Gurung.

On Monday, 21 members each from the Janamukti Secondary Teachers’ Organisation, the Janamukti Primary Teachers’ Organisation and the Janamukti Karmchari Sangathan will launch an indefinite hunger strike in Darjeeling, Kurseong, Pintail village in Siliguri, Kalimpong, and Kalchini in the Dooars.

Students and ex-servicemen are expected to join the hunger strike. Also, from December 15 onwards, nearly 150 members of the Nari Morcha from Darjeeling-Dooars-Terai will be on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and in Kolkata.

The GJM has already placed its concerns before UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, BJP president Rajnath Singh and other Central leaders in Delhi.

The four-day bandh in Darjeeling is expected to hamper the Tourism industry in addition to landing a major blow on tea and wool businesses.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung on Sunday hinted at the possibility of violence in Darjeeling and surrounding areas if the outfit’s demand for a separate state was not fulfilled.

He described the four-day bandh in the hills that starts from Monday as the “last battle” to get a separate Gorkhaland and stated that the people of Darjeeling are losing their patience. Everything will come to a standstill during the strike from December 14 to December 17, he warned, including movement of government and police vehicles.

Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, Gurung warned the Central government to consider the matter seriously. “Our agitations will be peaceful. But if the law and order situation goes haywire in the hills, the Central government will be responsible. If they can consider Telangana, why not Gorkhaland?” he said.

Gurung claimed the people of Darjeeling now wanted results rather than meetings after meetings, and dismissed the tripartite talks on the Gorkhaland issue among the GJM, West Bengal government and Centre on December 21. “The meeting has lost its relevance. There is no point in discussion. We want immediate results,” he said. While the four-day strike will be total, the GJM has decided to exempt vehicles of essential services like the fire brigade, LPG gas and media as well as examinations, weddings and funerals from the bandh purview.

Madan visited the Dooars on Wednesday and met members of the local communities. “I met the tribals and Gorkhas. I wanted to survey their socio-economic conditions in person. The interaction was quite enlightening and I would include my observations in my report to the Union government.” Madan added that he was open to discussions with other parties as well, but none had approached him so far.

This is Madan’s second visit to the Hills in the last two months. He had visited Darjeeling on November 2 to meet GJM leaders. He will leave for Delhi on Friday.

 Preeti Mehra

 New Delhi, Nov. 8 The issues of rural India rarely find themselves vying for eyeballs in corporate drawing rooms. A few years ago, the mention of Panchayati Raj (PR) would evoke a yawn or a sneer from the country’s elite TV audience or at best, a routine capsule on it would be aired on Doordarshan. But today, even a hard core business channel such as Bloomberg UTV is beaming a talk show on the subject.

 And who else would fit the bill to anchor such a series but the former Panchayati Raj Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar. Though currently out of office, his enthusiasm for the empowerment of local self-governments is still keeping him on his toes. Apart from anchoring the talk show, Aiyar has been travelling in districts in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan sensitising and mobilising people under the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan. He is also a frequent speaker on the subject in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the UAE and Singapore. “I wish the Government too made use of me,” he is frank enough to lament as he launches into his pet subject at his erudite best.

 Aiyar is thrilled that the concept of local self-governments is now reaching a desired audience through the TV show. “It has been the opening up of a new world to me by being allowed to come on the channel. And, I hope, I’ve opened a new world to corporate honchos who live, I’m afraid, in their India while most of their countrymen live in a really dreadful Bharat,” he says.

 On the show, he garners the opinions of personalities including Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister in the Kerala Government, Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of UIDAI,P. Sainath, journalist and elected representatives from zilla parishads and panchayats, at the same time arguing that the inclusive growth being promoted by the Government can never take place without inclusive governance and the keen involvement of the rural population.

 Inclusive growth

 “So, what is standing in the way?,” he asks and answers the question in the same breath, “….our administrators, political class, media, business world privilege accelerated growth over inclusive growth and the belief that the way to inclusive growth is through accelerated growth as this combined with tax reforms substantially increases government revenues… The fact of the matter is that outcomes have been derisive in relation to outlays because the same government that believes in inclusive governance prepares centrally sponsored schemes which are implemented entirely by the bureaucracy or their collaborators the NGOs, but without the deep and active involvement of the beneficiaries themselves.”

 The consequence, he points out, is that “we have over 100 mutually insulated silos delivering growth and welfare to the same set of beneficiaries. But, because of this, administrative costs go up hugely and convergence is not possible. That is the fundamental reason why Rajiv Gandhi, based on the single Planning Commission study of 1999, famously or infamously said that 85 paise in the rupee does not reach the poor.”

 Administration

 Aiyar goes on to explain that the current Planning Commission has come to a similar conclusion and puts the figure at 83 paise. “I think we can leave it to the experts to determine how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but the fact of the matter is that 75 paise to 85 paise meant for welfare schemes is being absorbed by the administrative mechanism. I am not saying this is corruption, but just the system they have set up…” Instead, he advocates a systemic change in governance, where responsible administration replaces responsive governance.

Aiyar’s other concern that comes out loud and clear is that though anti-poverty central spending has increased from Rs 7,600 crore to Rs 1,25,000 crore between 1994 and now, India has retained more or less the same position on the Human Development Index. “The same people who are brushing under the carpet that our relative position on the HDI has not increased are the very same people who are boasting again in comparative terms that ours is the second highest rate of growth. So, obviously, the high GDP growth is not translating itself into commensurate high HDI growth, with the consequence India is prospering, but Indians are not,” he says.