Tribal body opposes new state
Posted by barunroy on June 30, 2008
FROM THE TELEGRAPH
Jaigaon, June 29: A pan-Indian organisation of tribal communities has objected to the inclusion of the Terai and Dooars in the new state demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
The state leadership of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad announced this today while forming its Nagrakata local committee. More than 5,000 people from tribal communities had gathered at Nagrakata Hindi Madhyamik School to hear their leaders speak.
The general secretary of the parishad’s state committee, Tejkumar Toppo, cautioned the gathering that the demand for the inclusion of the Himalayan foothills in Gorkhaland should not be allowed to gather momentum.
“There has been a wind blowing in the Dooars and the Terai that these areas would be included in a so-called Gorkhaland. Let me tell you, do not allow this wind to turn into a storm,” Toppo said.
“We cannot understand why these two regions are being included in the proposed Gorkhaland, as 75 per cent of the population here comprises people from tribal communities,” said that parishad’s state president, Birsa Tirkey.
“We are not bothered whether or not the Bengal government allows the division of the state. We will oppose the demand to include the Terai and the Dooars in Gorkhaland,” Tirkey added.
The parishad leaders pointed out that when the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was formed in 1988, tribes like the Lepchas and the Bhutias were neglected.
They added that the parishad was not against the Gorkhas.
“Our struggle is against the central and state governments whose lopsided policies are still having no effect on the uplift of the tribal communities,” Tirkey said.
Efforts to contact the Morcha’s Dooars committee members, Madhukar Thapa and Vinod Ghatani, on their mobile phones proved fruitless.
V.Lepcha said
Separate ‘DARJEELING STATE’ for hill people
The recent action of the GJM of asking all visitors to leave the hills is most condemnable and needs to be rejected by the hill people. This highly irresponsible apart from making us vulnerable in the plains has dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry, which is the backbone of the economy of the hills.
The most important point to be noted is that we have serious reservations to the name ‘gorhaland’ for the seperate state. The people of the hills are not only gorhkas but include the indegenious tribes of lepchas, bhutias, etc. The indegenious tribes of lepchas, bhutias, etc., are basically buddhists and some are christians and are simple peace loving people not believing in violence. A case in point is the non-violent struggle which is being carried out by the lepchas for the sacred ‘ djongu’ which would be submerged in the upcoming power project.
The present agitation is led by the gorkhas who follow the Hindu relogion. The gorkhas actually are outsiders and migrants from nepal who have come and settled in the hills here and have upstaged the indegenious local tribes. But being numerically strong these gorkhas try to dominate the local tribes. A large population of the hills including the indegenious tribes as well as considerable section of the gorkha do not support the leaderships of the GJM or the GNLF. But they do not speak out for fear of reprisals and violence by the militant cadres of the GNLF and the GJM. It may be pointed out that when the DGHC was formed in 1988, tribes like the Lepchas and the Bhutias were neglected, and the GNLF monpolised power in the hands of the gorkhas.
The people of the hills need sober, educated and wise leadership to press for our demand for statehood. We do not want to taken for a ride by people who are blinded by personal interests and have with no vision and positive agenda for the economic development of the hill people. It has nothing got to do with the interests of the people of the hills.
There is need for the educated and selfless leaders to take up the issue of seperate statehood for the hills and not let it be hijacked by power hungry politicians to further their self interests. The agitation needs to conducted in a proper manner and should not be turned into a hill versus plains issue. Tourism industry is a major backbone of the hill economy and the present action of GJM would only hurt the fragile economics of the hills and increase the hardships of the common people.
The seperate state should be called DARJEELING, which would convey a broader identity to the people of the hills and not Gorkhaland, which has narrow communal overtones and stands for just one section of the population.
V.Lepcha.
Sidanth Chhetri said
V.Lepcha…a.k.a Relay…how low can you stoop??
tatu said
thanks mr lepcha, you have dare to talk the heart of a true lepcha. the plights of the lepchas are pathetic. they are the foreginer on their on land. at the time of prasant tamangs voting their was a leaflet published against the lepchas hunger strike (to save DZONGU). recently ,sikkim govt forced to stop the pilgrimage march of lepcha to DZONGU.
Sidanth Chhetri said
V.Lepcha..another pseudonym of Relay
RAJA said
My Gorkhali Friends,
Relay and V. Lepcha is same???? how can you know that??? you peoples are having 100 senses or what???….
As a democratic country we all have right to speak …. it doeas not mean everyone will support Gorkhaland….but after living for last 20 years in Ghisings rule you peoples have lost the faith in democracy….ghising has gone but dont try to keep his rule….give chance peoples to share their ideas…..otherwise you will very soon enter into Bimal’s era for next 20 years as a Newly form DGHC
V.Lepcha said
The entire debate of the demand for statehood of the hill people has been reduced to a hills v/s plains or rather gurkhas v/s bengalis issue. In the process the the real issue has been overtaken by personal attacks, use of unparliamentary languages, and raking irrelevant trivia about the background and culture of both these parties.
The demand for the separate state of the people of the hills has to be seen in the context of the social, cultural, economic aspirations of the region which after more than half a century of independence of the country is still without proper infrastucture, medical facilities, institutions of higher education. The region lacks in even the basic facilities including drinking water. There are no job opportunities for the youth, no economic development in the region. All these factors point to a total neglect of the hill region. The demand for the separate state has therefore to be seen in the proper perspective. The entity of state is essentially a unit of administration. The primary task of administration is to address the issues of the people and take appropriate steps for solving the problems of the people. The demand for the separate state by the people of the hills is only a logical culmination of the, unaddressed legitimate aspirations of the people in a democracy.
The state govt should realize these facts and adopt a positive approach in the matter. Similarly the issue needs to be handled with care and maturity by the hill people. It need not become a gurkha v/s bengali issue, which it seems from the various comments in the blogs, etc.
The situation calls for a sober, educated, liberal leadership from the hills, representing the various tribes and people of the region, which should be able to articulate these legitimate aspirations of the people and lead the hills towards peace, progress and prosperity. The propoganda of hatred, ill-will and communal color needs to be put to end at once. Calling the new state as DARJEELING would certainly address the feeling of gorkha domination prevailing among the indegenious tribes of the hills. The indefinite bandhs would only increase the economic hardship of the people of the hills. Besides hurting the tourism economy of the region, it should be realized that a large population of the hills earn their livelihood on daily basis, who are the worst hit by such bandhs.
Yamdut of GrrrrrrrrrKHAAAAA said
Hey Gorkha C,
from where you got this news that BG has made pregnent two innocent girls??any source??
Madhesi said
Mero Madhesi Bhaiyo aur Baheno,
Nepla ka Madhesio hum ee aap logo pe naaj hain….hum bihari aur UP bhaiyo ka full support hain aap logo ke liye…aap log ladiye wo maoist se aur chin liziye aapna hauk…..AAk din aapna sanpa pura hoga….apna Madhesi State for we madhesis….
RAJA said
Madhesi bhai,
aap log kya Indian nepali ho?? jaise ki Indian Gorkha???
well I have full sympathy to your demands like I’m also sympathaized to GL ( Siliguri-dooars chod ke).Carry on brother.we are all behind you.
By the way here topics is “Tribal body opposes new state” means Dooars& tarai ADHIBASIS are not at all interested to join with JGM’s so called GL, this tarai and dooars is situated in Jalpaiguri and Kuchbihar district of west bengal, India not in Nepal. Have you mix up this tarai area with your Nepal tarai where madhesis stay???
JTM said
Wait and see what they will demand as their Terai area.
pemsang_d said
We are fed up with terror tactics and intimidation of the GJM goons. They are forcing people in the hills to support their party. The peopel who are moving about in the name of gorkhaland are the same people who earlier terrorised the people under the banner of GNLF.
These henchmen benefitted under Subhas Ghesing who lorded over the DGHC and made personal fortunes. They have now broken away from Ghesing over their personal ambitions. Simply by changing the name to GJM does not absolve them of the crimes of financial improprity committed by them under the twenty year misrule of Ghesing, and most important the betrayal of the people by these elements.
There should be white paper on the financial dealings of the DGHC and all those who made ffortunes in the name of the hill people should be brought to justice. As for the seperate state demand, that is our right which cannot be taken away. But we do not want uneducated, criminal, henchmen to have anything to do with it. We want educated leadership with clean record.
J T M said
Any alternatives? Narbu la seems to have gone into hibernation is summer
Pemsang_D said
Alternatives would come up.
The scars of the violence of purpetuated by the the GNLF cadres are still in the memory and now the GJM is adopting the same methods. A large number of people here do not support the GJM. But they are keeping silent…the GJM dictum of each house having to send one representative to its meetings and procession does not go well with the people and there is a silent resentment building up.
The hill people are simple at heart and non-violent. But we cherish our individual freedom.
Alternatives would come up.
YK Shrestha said
I think there are some exceptions (should I say exceptional) cases like Pemsang and V Lepcah who are against GL. Well, they can crouch and sit at home, in any case, they being STs, they enjoy all the facilities as there are hardly any plain STs who can give them a good competition.
Well, I’m not trying to be communal, but we need GL for the identity and the upliftment of our people.
Let us not oppose for the sake of opposing.
BG has done well so far I guess.
Jai Gorkhaland!!
aardee said
No denying we blogger from the Gorkha community are all for Gorkhaland…
However, reports such as the following in the Telegraph seem to indicate all is definitely not well with GJM and its cadres that are into intimidation & harrassment:
Please read:
==========================
TELEGRAPH
Power, water off for Wattar
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Siliguri, July 21: CPM leaders in the Darjeeling hills continue to be at the receiving end of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s anger, K.B. Wattar from Bijanbari being the latest in the line of fire.
Morcha supporters have been demonstrating in front of Wattar’s house since yesterday, demanding that he either quit the CPM, which is against a separate state, or leave the hills.
“The Morcha harps on democracy, but at the same time its members intimidate our leaders in the hills,” Bengal urban development minister and CPM MLA Asok Bhattacharya said here today.
“Hundreds of Morcha supporters have confined Wattar and his family members to the house and have disconnected water and cable TV lines. They have threatened the family with social boycott and have demanded that Wattar leave the hills if he cannot resign from the CPM,” the minister said.
Earlier, CPM leaders like the party district secretary S.P. Lepcha, who lives in a garden near Darjeeling town, and Tara Sundas from Kalimpong had to face the brunt of Morcha protests. Their houses had been gheraoed and they were told to leave the CPM.
Morcha leaders had then admitted that the incidents had taken place, but branded them “people’s protests, which had nothing to do with the hill party”.
Wattar, a CPM district secretariat member and president of the party’s farmers’ front, Paschimbanga Pradeshik Krishak Sabha, said over the phone that around 300 Nari Morcha supporters surrounded his house at 11am yesterday. “They demanded that I quit the party. Water and cable connections to my house were snapped. The demonstration continued till 2pm.”
This morning, too, Morcha supporters allegedly camped in front of the house. “None of them entered my residence, but intercepted every person who came in, taking note of their identity and the purpose of visiting me or my family. We have to bring water from the roadside taps,” Wattar alleged.
According to CPM insiders, a zonal committee meeting of the party convened at Wattar’s house a couple of days ago, had angered the Morcha.
Darjeeling superintendent of police Rahul Srivastava said there has been no complaints from Wattar. “He told me in the evening that everything had returned to normal, including the water supply,” said the police chief.
Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha, denied that any such incident had taken place. “This is just an allegation,” he said.
J T M said
Such news are demoralising. Today BG is spearheading the movement. We cannot get Gorkhaland without a leader mobilising it, aardee. Koi leader to chahiye na? Aap ke rai me koi aur hai?
Nahi he to BG ko hi maan ke chaliye
Pemsang_D said
No. 14 comments are unfortunat, personal, communal, and devisive. It reinforces the belief that the GJM represents only the gurkhas.
Talking about ST, the outsiders gurkhas have come here, settled here, defiled the local indegenious culture, and also usurped the ST benefits.
Pemsang_D said
The recent acts violence of the GJM aginst its former partners in the GNLF sets at rest all doubt about the real agenda of the GJM. The GJM basically wants power to be consolidated in its hands and does not believe in democracy. Leave aside any other opinion or view regarding the composition of the hill state, it does not even want any competition from its former party GNLF.
These power hungry people masquerading as leaders of the hill people and their goondas are supposed to provide leadership to the proposed new seperate state. We should beware of such elements before they grow big.
The hill people certainly deserve better than such criminals and lumpens.