Gorkha Students JNU appeal to people

AN APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE OF DARJEELING, KALIMPONG, DOARS AND TERAI

After a lot of diversions and contradictory statements from the Bengal government, intending to create ambiguity and confusion, it has been finally declared by Mamata Banarjee in her recent statement to media that Bengali language will be made compulsory in schools for non Bengali communities in the State. 

What we need to understand is that the politics of imposing the language of the majority on the minority communities is neither new nor a region-specific phenomenon. It is a reflection of a new kind of Communal Majoritarian politics in India where powerful communities have overtly started imposing their language, their food habits, their culture and way of life on other weaker and minority communities. In this battle against the imposition of language, Gorkhas are not the only targets of the resurgence of majoritarian politics. Assam government intends to make Assamese language compulsory in school for all communities including Gorkhas living there. Only of people from Barak valley and tribal areas are exempted from this rule. Similarly, many southern states like Tamil Naidu and Kerala are protesting the indirect imposition of Hindi in their region by the Central government. 

We should also get rid of the “Messiah Complex” where we expect some saviour to appear and fight our battle. Such an attitude will not only rob our capacity and agency to fight against injustice but will also make us dependent on others to fight our struggle. Time and again, history has shown us that it is only when people actively participate in collective struggle, that victory has been possible and resolute. We should realise that our struggle has to be carried out by ourselves and cannot be outsourced elsewhere.  We should realise that people and people alone are the motive force of history.

We cannot allow this diktat to crush our linguistic freedom and further pave way for the weakening of our larger struggle for right to self-determination. We should also remain vigilant to those sinister forces that will attempt to portray this struggle as a communal fight between the Gorkhas and the Bengalis. Our struggle is not intended to disrespect either the Bengali community or their language at all. We respect Bengali language and its culture but not its imposition. We welcome and acknowledge the support of those from the Bengali community who believe that the language of the majority cannot be coercively imposed on linguistic minorities. Not only in Bengal, we are completely against any form of majoritarian politics which marginalises and exploits the other vulnerable communities.
Such continuous exploitation and injustice towards people of Gorkhaland clearly reflect that there cannot be any justice as long as we remain under Bengal. We need more than fake pre election promises, empty slogans and defunct government committees on Gorkhaland. Freedom from Bengal Majoritarian rule and formation of Gorkhaland is the need of the hour. It is time for the civil society and all progressive forces to join hands for a unified struggle against this chauvinistic act of the Bengal government.

Gorkha Students JNU, New Delhi

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