DEMOCRACY IN DARJEELING
Posted by barunroy on May 12, 2008
By Ichamani Chettri
Democracy is defined as “Government by the People, for the People and of the People.”
We belong to the nation where modern democracy was conceived and ingrained in the very psyche of every citizen. India is the largest and the most vibrant democracy in the world. Certainly, thence, no further deliberation on the term ‘Democracy’ and its legacy in our country is needed. Even in the district of Darjeeling itself, more than 80% of college graduates are mainly from Arts Stream – Political Science being a most common subject. But is Democracy practiced or is it merely a terminology in Indian Politics?
When G.N.L.F was the party in power and at the helm of the D.G.H.C, the definition of Democracy in Darjeeling indirectly meant “Kingdom of Ghisingh, for the people of G.N.L.F and of the people of G.N.L.F”.
Mr. Ghisingh ruled according to his whims and nobody dared question him or even try to correct him. Everybody looked for their own selfish growth and the survival of their kinship. During the rule of Mr. Ghisingh, he employed the people, who worked or spoke accordingly to his order. ”If he said, the sun shines at night, each of his party members would nod their head. If any member tried to correct him, the outcome would inevitably be his ouster from the post and the party.
Now we have seen the downfall of G.N.L.F and the end of the cruel reign of Mr. Ghisingh. The question still arises – Does Democracy prevail in the Hills?
The people of the district of Darjeeling must take it upon themselves to keep the spirit of Democracy alive well into and after the formation of Gorkhaland. We must not forget that we are the rightful citizens of Democratic and Secular Republic of India. We have the right to vote and elect the right candidates. We must not be forced by any people or any political leader if we choose the right things and more so at this critical time in history when we are at the gateway of Statehood. Democracy will bring not only prosperity but also blessings from our forthcoming generations.
This is vital for us because we have seen the example of G.N.L.F and Subash Ghisingh where incapable, ill motivated and unscrupulous people were given charge of important posts. This might not be implacable to every one in the G.N.L.F party but is certainly implacable to a majority of them. Today, all good leaders and intelligentsia have allied with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. This is certainly a positive development. We must still keep in our mind that we need to lay a solid foundation for our new home and that is Gorkhaland. And without the establishment of a strong democratic tradition this is not possible.
barunroy said
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Darjeeling!
I have been completely awed by the simplicity and the truthfulness of this article by Mr. Ichamani Chettri. The honesty with which he writes is amazing. Hats off to you Mr. Chettri. I hope Beacon Online will be endowed with more of your honest, simple and to the point articles.
Regards
Jyoti Mukhia said
Simplicity speaks.
The otherside of the reality is How accountable and responsible we are? Yes it is true that the GNLF era was what Ichhamani quotes “Kingdom of Ghisingh, for the people of G.N.L.F and of the people of G.N.L.F”.But who made this or who allowed this to happen? It is WE not Ghisingh nor his accolades. They took the opportunity that we provided. Thus I would advocate for the social responsibility and Accountability on the part of the citizen first. If citizens are accountable we can still make the rulers/ leaders accountable. That is why simply running after one party is not the only solution for the achievement of Gorkhaland in the present scenario. It is true that Bimal Gurung has taken the lead in the movement and it is abosolutely necessary for other parties to join and support the movement. But at the grass root level what GJMM trying to do is trying to build their support base which is their right but at our parts we should not be moved by the actions or threats. People can remain in their own party whether one is a communist or ABGL or GNLF which is every one’s right. Otherwise after few years the same definition will be applicable to the forthcoming ruler of Darjeeling Hills.
Anita Hagelin said
Finally some very sensible opinions. Please,keep it up. Hope indeed that Mr. Bimal Gurung, his party and supporters will come to the very same conclusion before it is too late.
vikash pakhrin said
Cheers…