Cover Story /West Bengal: Queen of Hills in quagmire

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has tried to follow ?Divide and Rule? idiom in her policy for Darjeeling.

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Jun 26, 2017, 12:41 pm IST

Darjeeling is suddenly up in flames, thanks to Mamata Banerjee’s debased policking, as the demand for Gorkhaland, that had remained dormant for years, stages a violent come back

Jisnu Basu from Kolkata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has tried to follow ‘Divide and Rule’ idiom in her policy for Darjeeling. Immediately after coming into power in the State she had underlined the divisive policy. Lepchas and Bhutias are two big ethnic groups other than the Gorkhas in Darjeeling district. The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, now Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), has, so far, been the centre of autonomy for hill tribes. Mamata’s government constituted ‘Lepcha Development Board (LDB), in November 2012 to trim the power of GTA. On September 3, 2013, she wrote on her Facebook page—“Today, I am in Kalimpong at the
invitation of Lepcha brothers and sisters, who decided to confer on me the title of ‘Kingtsoom Daarmit`. I express my sincere gratitude and thanks to them. The newly conferred Kingtsoom Daarmit (Goddess of Fortune)
immediately announced, she would end the autocracy of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in GTA. It a later stage Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board received equal importance as the GTA from the State Government.
The decision opened a Pandora’s box in the Hills. In December 2013 Bhutias demanded the formation of a board for the community’s development, Local hill tribes also demanded Limboo Tribal Development council’. In Mirik, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) played the communal card. They organised Hindi-speaking Muslim community to defeat the local ethnic groups. In last few year the TMC leadership left no stone unturned to create division among the hill people. Mamata took over Mirik Notified area Authority election with successful application of divide and rule policy. All the efforts have back fired. At present, all the TMC leaders have left Darjeeling and taken shelter in Siliguri, nearest city in planes.
On May 7, 2017, just before the civic body election in West Bengal, Indranil Sen, a minister in Mamata’s cabinet addressed the TMC rally at Darjeeling. Abhishek Bandopadhyay, MP of TMC and nephew of the Chief Minister also graced the occasion. In his speech, Sen said that he had brought along with him to Darjeeling “32 steel trunks of six feet in length and ropes”. He said that after the May 14 election, Gurung, Giri and all the GJM candidates should be tied up with rope, put in these trunks and sent to another district. Darjeeling hills had been seething with anger after the irresponsible statement of the minister.
The TMC abducted Gita and Raju Mehli, residents of Naxalbari who had hosted BJP National President Amit Shah over a meal at their home. Naxalbari is a development block in Darjeeling district. In his door- to- door campaign Amit Shah had had lunch at the house Mahlis, local tribe at Dakkhin Katiajote village in Naxalbari area on April 25, 2017. After a couple of days the TMC goons hijacked Mehli couple and sent them to an unknown place. From May 1, the West Bengal police cordoned the house of the poor tribal family. No BJP worker had been allowed even to meet the relatives of Geeta and Raju Mehli. The TMC resorted to a similar practice everywhere in West Bengal. After civic body election in Kharagpur and other places, successful BJP
candidates had been hijacked. In some cases BJP councilors were purchased with attractive packages or rest had been captured simply by threatening.
This time the TMC has been paid back in its own coin. The TMC’s election ally, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), has already washed it’s hands of it. Last week Neeraj Zimba, spokesperson of GNLF, told to the media that, “their alliance with TMC was never a political or ideological one, but the electoral tie-up. The state government didn’t take a single step for permanent solution of the problems, TMC tried to divert the attention with “doles and charities”. During the ongoing indefinite strike, the TMC councilors participated in the protest rallies in favour of Gorkhaland. The Trinamool Sikkim unit president P.T. Luckson and general secretary Tshering Wangchuk Lepcha have resigned from the party in support of Gorkhaland.
The Mamata government didn’t pay attention to the issues of sustainable development in the Darjeeling hills. Tea, Timber and Tourism; the 3 Ts are principle source of revenue in Darjeeling. In last 5-6 years about 12 big tea estates have been closed. At present there are 87 operational tea gardens covering an aggregate area of 49,950 acres. No step has been taken by the government to ensure job security of about 52,000 permanent and 20,000 contractual workers in the tea gardens. The industry is gradually shifting to Assam for trouble-free operation, good governance and better infrastructure. The tourism is the worst sufferer due to poor infrastructure. Water is supplied with 50 years old technology. So far as the natural beauty is concerned, God has given a lot to Darjeeling. The infrastructure of Darjeeling is still underdeveloped. Tourists are highly dissatisfied with the scarcity of water, sanitation and cleanliness of Darjeeling. Residents are forced to use the same water three times for their different domestic uses. On the other hand, the Mamata’s Government has been continuously propagating that, “Paharh Hnasche” (Hill is smiling) with the smiling photograph of the Chief Minister. It has been a real insult to the residents of Darjeeling.
Gorkha, Lepcha, Bhutias are very honest, loyal and hard working ethnic groups. The Nepali-speaking communities also have an enriched cultural heritage. The Communists used their diligence and idealism for organising violent movement in late 1960s in this part of West Bengal. However, neither the ultra left nor the mainstream Communist parties took proper initiatives for socio-economic upgradation of the Nepali speaking ethnic groups in Darjeeling. In 1980’s during the CPI(M) regime there was an organised outburst against the extortion of Communist babus. The GNLF started a movement which went violent in later stages. With the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council the movement was temporarily stopped. Some sensitive issues are still around, which need to be addressed either by the Left Front or the Trinamool Congress. Apart from Darjeeling, Kilimpong, Karseong and Mirik GJM and GNLF are demanding other areas like Metlee, Madari, Kalchini, Mal and Banarhat area in the proposed Gorkhaland, where Bengali community is notably present. No initiative has so far been taken to find out a win-win solution.
The Chief Minister’s comment regarding imposing Bengali as a compulsory language in all schools across the state was the final nail in the coffin. As per the Government
directive, one of the three languages would have to be Bengali. Two others are completely dependent on what a student chooses. There was an immediate and spontaneous protest from all non-Bengali speaking ethnic groups against the announcement. Initially the GJM started a protest but gradually it became a mass movement. Mamata Banerjee sought the Army help on June 8, 2017. After that the situation went beyond control. Three GJM supporters died and several injured in police firing on June 17.
All political parties are blaming the policy of Mamata Government for this point of no return situation. Her
condition is now like that of Dashyu Ratnakar of Ramayana. No one is ready to share her sins. The Chief Minister has called for an all-party meeting in Kolkata on June 22. The State
leadership of BJP, CPI(M) and Congress have refused to attend it, while the GJM and the GNLF have also announced to boycott the all-party meeting.

Gorkhaland Unrest

Though the cultural and linguistic aspirations of Gorkhas in West Bengal’s Hill areas have a long history, it became a movement only in 1986. Subhash Ghising”s outfit, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), led the agitation which had led to the formation of a
semi-autonomous body, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, in 1988 to govern Darjeeling district.
In 2007, however, the demand for Gorkhaland resurfaced, this time, at the behest of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). In 2011 , as a reprieve, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, was formed to replace the DGHC.
The GJM bounced back with violence this month again raising the demand for Gorkhaland after the Mamata Government decided to impose Bengali language in the schools.

Protest Timeline

As the situation in Darjeeling spiral out of control. The twists and turns as they unfolded

JUNE 8. The first cabinet in Darjeeling since 1973 is held at Raj Bhavan. CM Mamata Banerjee chairs, with 31 colleagues in attendance. Outside barely 200 meters away GJM supporters hurl bombs and stones engage security forces in pitched battle, triggering the latest round of violence to bleed the Queen of Hills.
JUNE 9. Tourists’ exodus starts even as the CM marches through the streets of Darjeeling, overseeing state government evacuation operations; about half of the 15,000-odd tourists staying in Darjeeling for the summer leave on a single day.
JUNE 10. GJM president announces a month-long partial shut down of government offices and banks.
JUNE 11. GJM officially appeals to tourists to leave the Hills.
JUNE 12. GJM starts its surgical strikes on government establishments and vehicles, setting some on fire, state administration reports 90% attendance in government offices.
JUNE 13. GJM protestors target Mumbai tourists trying to flee Darjeeling. BJP attends all-party meeting
convened by GJM.
JUNE 14. CM meets governor Keshari Nath Tripathy to discuss the Hills situation.
June 15. Cops raid Bimal Gurug’s office-cum-residence in Patlebas, triggering violent protests; GJM calls
indefinite bandh.
June 16. Calcutta HC calls GJM’s Darjeeling bandh illegal but violence and arson continued.
June 17. Violence spirals as GJM supporters target cops, govt. establishments and vehicles. Three protesters die in police firing claim GJM, the government says, cops did not fire. One Indian Battalion assistant commandant is stabbed by protesters.

Plot against BJP backfires

All of a sudden the hill area of West Bengal has again become unruly and a kind of ‘free for all’
situation has been created. This all started after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to Darjeeling to hold the state Cabinet meeting. It seemed that Mamata had fixed up this programme to give an impression that ‘all is well’ in Gorkha Territorial Authority (GTA) affairs as it was her own creation, at least she thinks so. But for the time being her days are not running well as the so-called
non-descript BJP has emerged as a big threat to her. At one point of time the people of the plains had started
thinking that Mamata has managed well, at least turbulence of GJM’s movement is settled down. After a long time Darjeeling looked normal with peaceful life. Tourism industry also started picking up.
Then all of a sudden she discovered that the BJP is meddling with the situation and to counter the TMC they are indulging in the idea of separating the hill areas of West Bengal. She has openly alleged that BJP is openly propagating for the division of India along with the GJM.
The other point on which Mamata has put extra importance is, to defeat the increasing influence of GJM in hill areas in collaboration with the BJP. She wanted to kill two birds with one shot. But people in the hill areas are not convinced with this idea as they show the instance of creating Sikkim as a separate state which according to them was a correct decision in the interest of the development of local people and at the same time to consolidate the integration of the country.
After the incident of police firing that killed three protesters things had taken an ugly turn. Protesters shouted slogans like “We want Gorkhaland”, “SP go back”, and the Gorkha Soldier’s battle cry: “Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali”. The crowd of men and women that marched up and down Chowkbazar waving the Indian Tricolour and ‘black flags’comprised at least 30,000 men
and women.
“The GJM has been making an effort to highlight that the fight for Gorkhaland was not only about
people of Gorkha origin but people from a few other communities as well. The Chief Minister failed to gauge sentiments of people in the hills”, said Mushtaque Usmani a protester. Aslam Alam another protester said that peace would come to the hills only if Gorkhaland is
created.
“Nowhere else in the country do we find it as safe as we do in Darjeeling under the Gorkha Hills Council, as well as the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. Now we demand Gorkhaland”, said Snehashis Chakravorty who is a third generation Bengali living in Darjeeling. “Why are such harsh steps being taken to instigate the people? We consider
ourselves Gorkhas and believe that only a separate state will solve the issue”, he said. In another development Gaulan Lepcha, the Trinamool district president of Kalimpng, tendered his resignation from the party in support of a separate state.
—Asim Kumar Mitra