Nepali Gorkhas may soon not be a part of the Indian Army (Lead, Superseding earlier story)

By Ritu SharmaNew Delhi, May 12 (IANS)India’s first field marshal, S.H.F.J. Manekshaw, preferred calling himself Sam ‘Bahadur’ as a sign of respect for the brave Gorkha soldiers, most of whom came from Nepal. However, a call by Nepal Maoist chief Prachanda not to allow them to join the Indian army could impact on traditional military ties between the two countries. “If anyone says he is not afraid of anything, either he is lying or he is a Gorkha,” Manekshaw once said.
However, Prachanda, who is poised to head the government in the Himalayan nation, told reporters April 25 that Nepali Gorkhas should not be allowed to join Indian defence forces.
There are two types of Gorkhas in the Indian Army – those hailing from India (who have migrated from Nepal long ago), and the others from Nepal. Under a tripartite agreement signed between India, Nepal and Britain in 1947, Gorkhas from Nepal were allowed to work in the British and Indian armies. Currently, nearly 40,000 Nepali Gorkhas are employed in the Indian Army.
“Nepali Gorkhas have been part of the Indian Army for a very long time. If they are stopped from joining the army then the association between the armies and also the countries will be affected,” former Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ved Prakash Malik told IANS.
“Besides the large number of Nepali Gorkha soldiers, we also have a large number of pensioners in the country. The pensioners are looked after by us only. We have opened hospitals and other facilities at Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal,” Malik added. In some villages in eastern Nepal, about half of the families have one or more pensioners from the Indian Army.
India and Nepal share such a close relationship that the Indian Army chief is honorary chief of the Nepali Army traditionally and vice-versa.
“It is not just a question of strength but also our proximity and tradition,” said Malik.
Besides impacting the age-old ties between the two nations, Prachanda’s demand, if acceded to, can lead to anarchy in Nepal due to large-scale unemployment, say military experts here.
“The Indian Army and the British Army – which also has a Gorkha regiment – are a major source of employment for Nepali youth. There can be unrest in the Himalayan kingdom, leading to a big problem,” Major General (retd) Afsar Karim told IANS.
Prachanda’s call has put the Gorkhas in a moral dilemma – of choosing a life in their country or one that will ensure livelihood and sustenance.
“The Nepali Gorkha soldiers send a lot of money back home, contributing in a big way to the Nepali economy,” an army official said.
However, experts do not see any major operational problem for the Indian Army if the Nepali Gorkahs are forbidden from joining.
“If Prachanda’s demand ever materialises, the Indian Army would not be affected operationally as the army has reduced considerably the number of Gorkhas,” Karim added.
The first battalion of the Gorkha regiment was raised during British rule in 1815. The Gorkhas have served the Indian Army with valour since then.
Gorkhas have played a crucial role in India’s three wars with Pakistan (1947-48, 1965 and 1971) and during the India-China conflict in 1962. A Gorkha battalion served with distinction as part of the Indian Army contingent in the United Nations Operations in the Congo (now Zaire) in the 1960s.
(Ritu Sharma is a correspondent with IANS. She can be contacted at ritu.s@ians.in) (Thaindian News)

News clips from Himalaya Darpan

Cong leader still demands all-party meeting on the Hill situation

Statesman News ServiceSILIGURI, May 12: The Congress leader Mr Somen Mitra slammed the state government for the Darjeeling Hills bungling. “The problem, being more than a mere political problem requires a more sensible handling and the state has been bungling it for years in a most irresponsible manner,” Mr Mitra said. He further criticised the CPI-M for reducing the ongoing state panchayat election to a farce with the help of the state administration. He came to Siliguri today in connection with panchayat poll campaigning in north Bengal. Mr Mitra said the Congress is still demanding an all-party meeting on the Hill situation. “A solution may evolve in the course of analytical discussions among all the political parties of the state. But the chief minister is reluctant to convene it. We cannot understand which way the state government’s mind is working,” he said.“The chief minister seems to be blindly toeing the line being chalked out by the state urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya. And the problem is Mr Bhattacharya seems to have lost touch with the Hill’s ground reality. The initial inflexibility on the part of the state regarding the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha rally in Siliguri clearly indicates that the government is resolved to handle the sensitive issue with mere state force,” Mr Mitra alleged.This apart, the Congress leader also castigated the CPI-M for reducing the on-going panchayat election in the state to a veritable farce with the active assistance of the state administration. “The party has been browbeating the courageous administrators into submission. This has been amply proved recently in the case of strife-torn Nandigram,” Mr Mitra said.

All parties oppose Darjeeling-Sikkim merger

Statesman News ServiceGANGTOK, May 12: Almost all the major political parties of Sikkim boycotted the merger of Sikkim and Darjeeling but pledged to give moral support for the fight for Gorkhaland.Opposition party Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP), State Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), and ruling Sikkim Democratic Party has boycotted the merger. “No doubt we have the same culture, tradition and language but we don’t have the same political scenario here, like Darjeeling” said Mr Tara Shresta, general secretary SHRP. “We are emotionally bound to Darjeeling so we will always support their good cause and they are fighting for Gorkha’s identity but we are fighting against corruption and for the welfare of Sikkim,” he added. State BJP president echoed his words but he refused to comment claiming it is entirely Darjeeling’s matter so speaking on behalf of them would be incorrect. “Unless we don’t discuss the matter in the Centre and get permission from high commands we are not allowed to talk,” said Mr HR Pradhan. “But as per my knowledge our colleagues in Darjeeling are demanding a separate state instead of a Darjeeling-Sikkim merger,” he added. When contacted Dr GS Yonzon president of BJP Darjeeling unit, said: “Other political parties are demanding Darjeeling-Sikkim merger just to be free from Bengal but our first priority is for statehood instead of merger. This is our movement for our identity so either this way or the other way we just want to be free from Bengal”. Historically, Darjeeling belonged to Nepal in the eighteenth century and then belonged to Sikkim in the nineteenth century. British political officer for Sikkim and Tibet Sir Claude White, Sikkim’s King Tashi Namgyal and Bengal officer of that time had gifted Darjeeling to British to set up a sanatorium centre due to its suitable climate and hospital for tuberculosis patients. When asked why they don’t claim to be a part of Nepal, Dr Yonzon said, Darjeeling belonged to Nepal earlier but then it belonged to Sikkim. On the other hand, Mr R Moktan from Kalimpong, Mr DK Bomzon from Kurseong and Mr Ashok Chong from Sikkim are spearheading the move for a Darjeeling-Sikkim merger. They had a meeting in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim for a merger through Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) recently. They demanded a Greater Sikkim where Jalpaiguri, Dooars and Mechi in Nepal would be included as a part in the new Sikkim. But Mr BB Gooroong advisor to the chief minister of Sikkim disagreed with them. “That was the history when Darjeeling belonged to Sikkim and now it has gone to the dustbin of history. Now if we claim Pakistan as part of India at this age will they agree? It is not possible for Sikkim to merge with Darjeeling,” said Mr Gooroong. “We have already merged with India in 1975 and became the twenty-second state of the country so again we don’t want to be sub-merged,” he added. He slammed Mr Chong as to why he gave such provocative comments on behalf of Sikkimese people. “Whatever comment from the Sikkim side must come from the chief minister Mr Pawan Chamling because he is the people’s mandate,” he said. But he also maintained that he will always have sentiments for Darjeeling people as they are emotionally attached. His wife is from Kalimpong and many others exchange their marital affairs with Darjeeling and Kalim-pong. “We always want to see Darjeeling go ahead and we like them to do well and are always ready to help in their cause like we did it for Prashant Tamang and Prakriti Giri (both were stars of TV reality show),” said Mr Gooroong. When asked if he supported Gorkhaland, he said: “Yes, we want Gorkhas to have their own identity and we are always ready to give them moral support”.

DGHC to probe 20-yr-old projects

VIVEK CHHETRI
Darjeeling, May 12: The DGHC has decided to probe into various financial irregularities allegedly committed during the 20-year tenure of hill council under Subash Ghisingh.
The decision was taken after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today submitted a list of 15 schemes, which they alleged were executed or implemented without conforming to rules, to B.L. Meena, the administrator of the council, at the latter’s office at Lal Khoti
“The council had a cell to facilitate fast and easy payment to contractors who were awarded the projects. No cash book or payment register was maintained to record these transactions,” said D.K. Pradhan, the central committee member of the Morcha. He, along with the party’s general secretary, Roshan Giri, had met Meena today.
The Morcha also demanded a thorough inquiry into the construction of a 5km road between Rambi Bazar and Tarzam busty, for which Rs 55 lakh was spent.
The leaders also told the administrator that proper payments were not made to the beneficiaries of the Swarna Jayanti Rojgar Yojna. “Under this scheme, a worker was to be paid 60 per cent of his wage in cash, while the rest in kind by giving them food grain. However, there is no record of any food grain being distributed to the labourers,” said Pradhan.
The probe will also cover the Rs 13-lakh Rambi water project undertaken during 2004-05, the Rs 7-lakh Suntaley water project and the Rs 20-crore Gorkha Rangamanch Bhawan project.
“For some projects (mid-day meal scheme, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, functioning of Emergency Construction Cell and Swarna Jayanti), an audit team will come to Darjeeling on May 19 for inspection,” said Meena. He added that the audit of some projects would be over within a month.
The administrator said he would write to the Bengal government to send two superintendent engineers to investigate other projects. According to him, it would take a lot of time to probe into the projects executed over 20 years. Meena added that work at Gorkha Rangamanch Bhawan has already been stopped.
The Morcha also discussed with Meena the regularisation of 8,000 contract workers of the DGHC. “Meena said he would take up the matter with the government,” said Giri.(The Telegraph)