NDTV map shows Karsiyang (Kurseong) in Bangladesh!

The misrepresentation of Darjeeling Hills and her people is evident with the Government Maps showing Darjeeling as Darjiling, the national news media which should keep accurate knowledge of the land and her people offered a flak when the popular NDTV in one of its news showed Kurseong as Karsiyang situated in Bangladesh.

Map courtesy www.wikipedia.org

Hungerstrike Videos!

11 Government College Boys join the Hunger Strikers!

R. B. RAI of the CPRM discussing with some of the Central Committee members of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha

Government College Boys plunges into Hunger Strike

Darjeeling, Feb 21: There were eleven new addition to the hunger strikers at the Darjeeling Court House precinct today. All the boys between 19 to 22 years of age are from Government College and members of the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha. A solitary girl hunger striker also joined in the 11 boys. The hunger strikers were offered khada by the people including R. B. Rai the General Secretary of Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists, who had arrived to offer support to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha strikers. [Barun Roy]

The Lone female hunger strike who joined today

In Hunger strike for more than 50 hours and counting!

Welcome to Garbage Town!

Yesterday!

Today!

Photos by Barun Roy

Cowering in a corner

By Shikha Mukerjee

Pioneer newspaper, Delhi edition shared by Norbu T. 

The exile of the king is not a pleasant picture, for it reveals a degree of contempt that is painful to behold. If Subash Ghisingh is cowering in a resort in the foothills, because he has been banished by the people from the territory of which he was once-upon-a-time in supreme control, that is, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, the fault lies with the man and his handlers, principally West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the Government he leads.

If DGHC’s life as Ghisingh’s personal fiefdom has been extended beyond its legitimate span, the responsibility for it and the political turbulence that has ignited lies with the West Bengal Government and the Centre. By flouting the norms of democratic politics and perpetuating a reign that is now all too clearly despised, New Delhi and Kolkata have jointly delivered a body blow to the idea of elected representative Government.

By turning the inclusion of DGHC into the Sixth Schedule as a half way solution, which is in other words neither here nor there, it is no surprise that the situation has morphed into a three-ring circus. Having deflected Ghisingh from his demand for a separate State, the Centre and West Bengal have been busy propping him up in power. Every norm of governance has been relaxed to enable Ghisingh to imagine himself as the unchallenged leader.

The emergence of dissent and how a coalition of dissenters with the capacity to exile Ghisingh under the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha banner led by Roshan Giri and Bimal Gurung grew right under the nose of Bhattacharjee is not a mystery at all. Nobody has been caught unawares by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha’s strength. Nobody, from the Chief Minister to New Delhi was unaware of Ghisingh’s growing unpopularity and spiralling megalomania, fuelled by liberal fund releases for which no accounts were considered necessary. By allowing all rules to be flouted, Bhattacharjee must take the blame for what is now happening in his backyard.

The justification for pampering Ghisingh forwarded by Bhattacharjee is that denying him what he wants would provoke him to rekindle the fire in Darjeeling. In the first five years after Ghisingh was tamed and compelled to undergo a process of legitimisation by participating in elections, however much it was stagemanaged, the danger of destabilisation was real. Thereafter, it was political failure not to get Ghisingh to accept and submit to the usual rules of governance. Aware of how afraid the West Bengal Government was, Ghisingh extended his power without bothering about the paperwork.

All of this adds up to a list of omissions and commissions that is the most blatant subversion of all processes, which in effect is a form of corruption that is worse than merely siphoning off funds allocated for other purposes. West Bengal allowed Ghisingh to interpret the rules of election by succumbing to his plea that there would be no open contest for seats in the DGHC. Assuming that in the first elections, appeasing Ghisingh was necessary in order to establish the DGHC as an autonomous council within the State of West Bengal, continuing to pamper him thereafter was only setting the stage for the current crisis in the hills.

Between calculating the cost as maintaining peace in Darjeeling by giving in to Ghisingh and estimating the advantage he could deliver to the CPI(M) in elections, the West Bengal Government played into his hands. To admit and sponsor Ghisingh’s continuation in office without benefit of elections was an act of subversion in which the Centre and the West Bengal Government participated.

By offering Ghisingh listing in the Sixth Schedule, thereby cementing the ethnic identity distinction the Gorkhaland movement demanded, the Centre and the CPI(M) had hoped to contain the issue of State’s reorganisation on ethnic and linguistic basis. Neither the Centre nor the CPI(M) has been able to choke off the demand for the creation of smaller States. Neither has been able to prevent the demand for smaller States entering the arena of political bargains; Telangana being the best example, followed by Mayawati’s offer to trifurcate Uttar Pradesh.

Ghisingh is a bogey and has lost his capacity to scare. That he was not recognised for being toothless and clawless was because Bhattacharjee refused to see reality and was careless about norms, an endeavour in which he has been backed up by the Centre. As a cause for which democratic and constitutional norms have been broken, the demand for a separate Gorkhaland seems paltry. Originally there may have been concerns about the Nepal monarchy angle in Ghisingh’s politics and the possibility of China meddling in its backyard, the GNLF leader held both at bay and to ransom. But for several years now, the Nepal end of the tale has dried up. Instead of dumping Ghisingh, propping him up makes no sense, not even politically, because in the two decades since the DGHC was established, the CPI(M) has gone down the tube in Darjeeling.

GJM supports arrested in Siliguri

Darjeeling, Feb 21: Unconfirmed reports suggest that scores of Gorkha Janmukti Morch supporters have been arrested in Siliguri. We had reported the movement of more than 1000 vehicles from Darjeeling Hills to the plains. It is at this moment not possible to state more facts.

Stranded Trourists evacuated under police escort!

Stranded Tourists waiting for police escort

Police guarding stranded tourists

Foreign travellers among the ones being evacuated

Schools and Colleges open but no one attends!

A maruti van on school duty making way along a tourist bus

Darjeeling, Feb. 21:  The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had declared lifted closure over schools and colleges offering reprieve to the students. However, besides those students who were sitting for Madhyamik Board Exams, there were not much takers on the GJM offer. Students and teachers remained at and the schools and colleges remained closed.

People take matters in their own hands by disposing Garbage themselves

Darjeeling, Feb. 21:Reacting sharply to the new Municipal Chairman Pema Buddha Yolmo’s verdict, the people have begun cleaning the streets and disposing the garbage. The move was much appreciated and the business community has now started cleaning the Darjeeling Market area. “Why not? If Buddha thinks he can threaten us by stopping garbage disposal and water supply, we will do things ourselves. Why give tax to the Municipality when it thinks that it is doing us a favour. If they test the people so much, we will take over the water supply,” said Ashok Moktan at Lal Dhiki. “It is such that in democracy and elected representative actually threatens the very people who elected him. Buddha Yolmo thinks that Municipality is his father’s fort and that he can do anything he wants. Let him do what he wants we will take care of ourselves and our neighbourhood. [Barun Roy]

Chief Minister Buddhadeb request GJM to withdraw indefinite closure

Darjeeling, Feb 21:D. T. Tamlong, the Principal Secretary of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council has received the axe from the Government of West Bengal. His term ended on the 19^th and was replaced by the District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey who will now also be responsible for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. “The decision was taken at the Writers’ Building in a Ministerial meeting,” said Asok Bhattacharya, State Municipal and Urban development Minister. The move by the West Bengal Government has lead to much concern among the GNLF leaders. There are concerns that Subash Ghisingh could also be similarly dethroned unceremoniously. “The Chief Minister has requested the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to withdraw the indefinite closure since it is causing major problems for the people in the hills. The Chief Minister has requested the police authorities to not react foolishly to any incident that could lead to major law and order situation in the hills,” said Asok Bhattacharya. [Barun Roy]

Ghisingh still underseize at Pintail Village

Darjeeling, February 21: Subash Ghisingh took walks and discussed issues with I. N. Pradhan, the Kurseong GNLF President. Ghisingh then slept in his room for the most of the day. According to news filtering in from the Pintail Village and reaching out to the Party Leaders in Darjeeling, the GNLF President is well and upbeat about the impending implementation of the Sixth Schedule Status in the Hills. GNLF cadres in Darjeeling is said to have played Deusi around Deepak Gurung’s neighbourhood and the GNLF stronghold. The GNLF cadres it is said have been said to show complete restrain and do nothing. They have instead been supplied with music cds to celebrate and remain calm according to one of the senior GNLF leader. “We can easily march to the Pintail Village and rescue our leader if there was a need. But there is no such need at all. The Chairman is resting at the Pintail Village. If he wants to come to Darjeeling, he will come. No one can stop him,” Deepak Gurung the GNLF Darjeeling Branch President said. “The people will now know who was right and who is wrong”, Deepak Gurung said sounding optimistic about the implementation of the Sixth Schedule Status. “The Sixth Schedule will be passed within the month of March. If they were so inclined towards stopping protesting about the Sixth Schedule how come they are now so panicked about the Bill? I have even heard that they will be contesting the Sixth Schedule Election. People should be careful of such leaders,” Deepak Gurung said. The Youth Wing of the GNLF, Gorkha National Youth Front convener Ajoy Edwards could not be reached for comments. [Barun Roy]

GJM reinforces its cadres laying seize over Pintail Village

Darjeeling, February 21: More than 1000 vehicles, including trucks are at this very moment leaving with GJM cadres for Pintail Village. This number could swell even further with the villages and towns in the other two subdivision joining in. It is unknown as to what the party intends to do after gathering the people at the Pintail Village. Cadres have however, been restricted from carrying weapons. According to a senior leader, the cadres are being body searched and asked not to carry any weapons. [Barun Roy]

Subash Ghisingh to lose chair after 24 March!

‘Has Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Played right into the hands of the Government’

Darjeeling, Feb, 21: The West Bengal today playing its well laid card declared that Subash Ghisingh will not be given any more extension. “The government is not considering renewing Ghisingh’s tenure. We don’t have any such plans. After March 24, a government representative would be appointed as administrator of the hill council. I am announcing this under instructions from the Chief Minister,” said Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya at Writers’ Buildings. The move it has been believed will ease the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha which has been pursuing Ghisingh’s ouster through series of political campaign. However, sources at the Writers Building and Darjeeling believe that the move of the West Bengal Government is calculated and would ultimately, throw GJM of guard since by March 24, the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill could already have been passed by the Union Parliament. If this happens the opposition could be split in between and GJM greatly weakened. GNLF on the other hand it is believed will be greatly benefit from the implementation of the Sixth Schedule status in the Hills and make a drastic comeback. All in all, Subash Ghisingh could still win. Asked if the GJM contested the Sixth Schedule election and won as the GJM President has maintained that he would contest election, the source said, “The GJM could contest the election and win and as Mr. Bimal Gurung has said resign. But election will not talk place immediately after the passing of the Bill by the Parliament. It could take around six months before the election is held and in that period, the Bengal Government could through an IAS officer run the Gorkha Hill Council Darjeeling unleashing massive benefits and job guarantees for the Tribal people. Now the question is whether these people who form the huge chunk of the majority in the villages and tea gardens give up these benefits. The general people forms the majority in the towns while the tribes form the majority in the villages and the tea gardens. This is a disturbing fact. What will the GJM counter this with. They will have nothing but promises of Gorkhaland. Subash Ghisingh could simply return after a year and contest the election and win it. The opposition including the Communist Party of the Revolutionary Marxists which is on record saying that if the Sixth Schedule Status is indeed implemented they will contest the election to get the people’s mandate. The Indian National Congress which in the Hills condemn the imposition of the Sixth Schedule actually placed the Sixth Schedule Bill in the Lok Sabha. Will they refuse to contest in the election? Even if they do, it will not make any difference. Seeing the major opposition political parties like GJM, CPRM and possibly ABGL, the smaller political parties would be forced to contest. ” When asked about the Gorkha Janmukti Morch’s declaration of the indefinite strike, the Pintail Village gherao and the fast unto death, he said, “Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s choice of political struggle is ambiguously ambitious. Indefinite strikes will only backfire and create public outrage. Because no matter how long the strike is observed, it is the people who will severely suffer. The fast unto death is a dangerous political tool if not controlled it could only lead strife and political unrest. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha should now have no option but to back out from its indefinite strike and the fast unto death after the Government’s announcement that it will no longer extend Subash Ghisingh’s reign. [Barun Roy]