One on One with Deepak Gurung
q. How would you explain the present political situation?
A. Things were going on well but now everything has been diverted to meaningless politics. People and leaders who talk about Gorkhaland are neither devoted to it nor prepared for it. There is no roadmap to Gorkhaland.
Q. What do you think about the GJM delegation to Kolkata?
A. This is nothing but a child’s play. Do you think that the CPIM which heads the State Government is like a party from Patlebas? This is a party of the intellectuals and an international party. How can the State Government reject the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill when it no longer has any power over it? The Bill has now been transferred to the Central Government and the Parliament. Isn’t this stupidity on the party of the GJM to make such demands? About the stated visit of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, we were ourselves waiting for them. But why did you (GJM) have to go to Delhi to submit petition to them along with your 17 subsidiary branches? You people were the one who stopped the Standing Committee from visiting Darjeeling. This is all childish. Why do you run to Delhi every time some thinghappens? How can one do politics with people like these (GJM)? Their politics is for a few days only!
Q. Do you think that their demands will be accepted [by the State Government]?
A. I don’t have anything to say that. Their demands were not valid and the State Government has rejected all their demands.
Q. Is this true?
A. Yes, they are trying to hoodwink the people by their hunger strike. They had even tried to make us believe that Subash Ghisingh had resigned on the 16th of Feb. These are all lies.
Q. Don’t you think these issues could lead to violence in the hills?
A. Why? What do you think could be the reason to this?
Q. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has declared that they will not allow Subash Ghisingh to enter into Darjeeling Hills, what is your stand on that?
A. We have no stand on this. There is a story in the Mahabharata. Once, Guru Dronacharya invited all his disciples to a forest. All his disciples were great archers. This was test after the completion of their training. There was Duryodhan from the Kauravas, and then for the Pandavas there was Arjun. Now, Dronacharya showed them a branch on the tree and asked them as to what they saw. Duryodhan said there were numerous branches, with numerous leaves and among these numerous leaves were numerous birds. However, when Arjun was asked as to what he saw, he said that he saw the eye of a bird. Just like that they (GJM) and their leader (Bimal Gurung) did not ask for Gorkhaland in Delhi. They did not even raise the G or Gorkhaland. They protested against the Sixth Schedule asked for the removal of Subash Ghisingh. That was all. When they were in Kolkata, theyrepeated the same demands. How can they bring Gorkhaland? Why would you resort to violence in Darjeeling?
Q. GNLF does not see violent political strife in the future!
A. No, there is no such thing. Because these people are not serious for Gorkhaland. They are only asking for the removal of Subash Ghisingh and in fact eyeing for the Chairmanship post.
Q. The Parliamentary Standing Committee could go against or in favour of the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill, what do you think would be their stand?
A. They have no other option but to go in favour of the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill because they themselves will have to do politics. I personally feel that they will help the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill to be passed.
Q. It has been reported in the papers that 21 parties are against the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill and only GNLF and CPIM are in favour of the Bill, in such a situation will the Parliamentary Standing Committee really send a report in favour of the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill?
A. You will have to realize that the 17 parties which went to New Delhi and met the members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee are in fact the nothing but the branches of one single party. We did not go because our party was a signatory to the Memorandum of Settlement. Anyways a few days earlier, the Chairman (Subash Ghisingh) himself had gone to New Delhi and met up the appropriate authorities there.
Q. Are the majority of the people against the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill or in favour of it?
A. The majority are in the favour of the Bill.
Q. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha which has been against the Bill are they in majority?
A. No, hardly twenty per cent of the people are against the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill. All the supporters including the parties supporting the GJM, should come to not more than 20 per cent of the people of the hills. A majority of almost 80 per cent are still in favour of the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill and hence GNLF.
