Writes: Upendra
Darjeeling is a land of political intrigue; it has always been so. Sadly, all the ‘intrigue’ till date have ended up hurting us more than benefiting us. Be it the Communists demanding the formation of ‘Gorkhasthan’ in 1950s to incorporate Nepal into India, or AIGL not demanding anything while it was in power, or Subash Ghising ending up with DGHC, or Bimal Gurung having to make do with GTA. Our politicians have repeatedly failed us, and we - the people have let them do so.
It is perhaps due to all these ‘intrigues’ that though the demand for a separate administrative unit comprising of the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars was first raised in 1907, till date we are yet to achieve it.
Adding to the milieu of this “intrigue,” yesterday “Intellectuals” from the hills announced the formation of a new political group – Jan Andolan Party.
This is perhaps the 1st time in the history of Darjeeling (post-independence) that a new political party has tried to establish themselves devoid of the “Gorkha” tag. While for most people the name may not matter, for any political analyst, this is a significant new development.
There have been complaints from some quarters in the past that the very word “Gorkha” denies inclusivity to ‘non-Gorkhas’ and thus the appeal or reach of such parties do not extend beyond the Gorkha dominated areas of Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars. Perhaps the newly formed Jan Andolan Party wants to project itself as a “non-denominational,” a “non-community specific” political party which seeks to highlight the numerous issues facing our region, and thus promote regional development.
To understand the origination of the term “Jan Andolan” we have to rewind back to 2013, a year prior to 2014 MP elections. “Intellectuals” based in Delhi and led by Mr. Munish Tamang had flouted a group called “Jan Awaz” [Details: on.fb.me/1UtWhW7].
The newly formed group tried to create some noise back then, and also took out a rally in support of Gorkhaland in Delhi. For various reasons, they could not find much traction in Darjeeling region and “Jan Awaz” died a convenient death post the 2014 elections. However, those “intellectuals” behind the idea of a “Jan Awaz - People’s Voices” remained persistent and are now at the helm of “Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh.”
A cursory glance of the recent changes in political spectrum in our region, sort of puts more credence to the fact that the emergence of “Jan Andolan Party – People’s Movement Party” is not a random outcome. Somewhere someone has been putting a lot of thought into the shape, scope and agenda of this new political outfit.
Recently a new body “Chiya Bagan Sangram Samiti, or the Tea Garden Movement Committee” was formed, the formative meeting organized in Siliguri was attended by representatives from a ultra-left CPI(ML), CPRM and also Dr. Mahendra P Lama [Details: on.fb.me/1SezsZ4]. To those observing closely, it comes as no surprise that many of the post holders in this organization [CBSS], include the top brass of “Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh” including its President Mr. Sukman Moktan and VP Mr. Munish Tamang [Details: bit.ly/1SezzUq].
There is a definite trend here. ‘Jan Awaz’ of 2013 has today metamorphosed into ‘Jan Andolan,’ and they are increasing the scope of their influence. However, for them to be able to do so, they had to shed the “Gorkha” tag.
Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri the leader of Jan Andolan Party has repeatedly insisted that “we should give up the politics of emotions, and indulge in practical politics, or the politics of rational,” and while I applaud his vision, I want to ask him this. Is the demand for a separate state for the Gorkhas not a practical and rational demand?
In the 23 point Manifesto released by Jan Andolan Party, the words “Gorkha” or “Gorkhaland” do not feature at all.
Some of my friends who are “intellectuals,” and thus vocal supporters of Jan Andolan party and its “intellectual” leadership point out the very 1st agenda on Jan Andolan Party’s manifesto and claim that the demand for a separate state is JAP’s priority.
The 1st point reads: “Work towards the goal of AUTONOMY and SELF-GOVERNANCE by the eventual attainment of a separate state of this region based on the principle of inclusiveness, territorial contiguity, cultural harmony and economic and political rationality, all the time bearing in mind the twin concerns of national integrity and security.”
While the phrase “eventual attainment of a separate state” sounds nice, what JAP has conveniently left out is the point which inspires the demand for the “separate state” – i.e. the reason why are we demanding a separate state to begin with?
Unlike the demand for Telangana, which was about fostering development in the neglected regions, the demand for a separate of Gorkhaland is about creating a niche, an identity reference point for the Gorkhas living in India.
Yes! misgovernance, discrimination and socio-economic and cultural exploitation are very strong reasons to demand a separate state, however for the Gorkhas living in India, most important of all we need a state which resolves the “IDENTITY CRISIS” faced by our community, and a state of “Gorkhaland” would go a long way in resolving the ambiguity surrounding the nationality of our community.
By keeping mum on the word “Gorkha” and “Gorkhaland” while JAP is likely to gain votes in the plains, the obvious question that one wants to thus ask is this, would a “Jan Andolan” in our region be possible without the involvement of the “Gorkhas”? Form whom do JAP hope to cause the "andolan"? Why should "Gorkhas" become a part of the "andolan" when the new party is abhorred to even using the name of our community?
Another significant omission which rattled me is this, even though JAP manifesto does talk of, “Ensure[ing] equality and quality in educational opportunities for the coming generations, especially the poor and the needy” [Section 14]. What is surprising is the fact that a political party flouted by so called “intellectuals” is mum on the demand for a Central University in our region. It is also mum on any specialized educational and training institutes such as AIIMs, IITs, IIMs to be formed in our region.
JAP is also mum on the inclusion of our region into North-east Council which would not only expedite the development process through the allocation of additional resources, but would also lay the foundation for our breaking away from Bengal.
Speaking to Indian Express, Dr. Harka yesterday said, “When you go to the Assembly as an MLA, your high command is the state government. Until you are in a good relationship with the state government, how can you get your demands met for the people who you are answerable to?” [Details: bit.ly/1WQuUqH].
It was quiet revelatory of what the Jan Andolan Party hopes to achieve – excellent relations with Bengal, so that their benevolence may somehow foster economic development in our region. Gorkha “intellectuals” in JNU use a word “State-ist” to define those who pander to the ruling government at the cost of the issue or cause at hand. JAP seems to fulfill that definition to the T.
Perhaps, why JAP has knowingly failed to mention these issues is best explained by Section 16 of their manifesto wherein they seek to, “Foster, nurture and develop human resources with the GOAL of CAPABILITY BUILDING for REAL AUTONOMY AND SELF-GOVERNANCE.”
I don’t know what others think about this particular section, for me one message emerges out loud – currently we are not capable of running our own affairs and we need to focus on “capability building” to be eligible for real autonomy and self-governance.
“Real Autonomy” can mean anything, and so can “self-governance.” Panchayat is a self-governance body, GTA is an autonomous body and if it were handed over all the powers and departments by the treacherous Bengal government as agreed to on GTA Accord, then it would have real autonomy too. So what do JAP mean by these terms – “real autonomy” and “self-governance”?
It is also important to note that this document [JAP Manifesto] was possibly prepared by the same group of “intellectuals” who negotiated on our behalf and pushed our demand for Gorkhaland to accepting GTA [Proof: https://youtu.be/KeaI_SqeckY].
So when they start talking about “Real Autonomy” and “Self-Governance” it makes me question their sincerity towards Gorkhaland statehood.
However, I wish the new party good luck in their endeavour and hope that they will remain sincere, committed and honest towards the cause they believe in. Darjeeling needs a united and strong opposition, and I am hopeful that Jan Andolan Party will fulfill that gap.
I also sincerely hope that, much like how “Jan Awaz” and Prof. MP Lama conveniently disappeared after 2014 elections, “Jan Andolan” doesn’t disappear after 2016 elections.
Jai Gorkha!! Jai Gorkhaland!!
Via The Darjeeling Chronicle
Darjeeling is a land of political intrigue; it has always been so. Sadly, all the ‘intrigue’ till date have ended up hurting us more than benefiting us. Be it the Communists demanding the formation of ‘Gorkhasthan’ in 1950s to incorporate Nepal into India, or AIGL not demanding anything while it was in power, or Subash Ghising ending up with DGHC, or Bimal Gurung having to make do with GTA. Our politicians have repeatedly failed us, and we - the people have let them do so.
It is perhaps due to all these ‘intrigues’ that though the demand for a separate administrative unit comprising of the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars was first raised in 1907, till date we are yet to achieve it.
Adding to the milieu of this “intrigue,” yesterday “Intellectuals” from the hills announced the formation of a new political group – Jan Andolan Party.
This is perhaps the 1st time in the history of Darjeeling (post-independence) that a new political party has tried to establish themselves devoid of the “Gorkha” tag. While for most people the name may not matter, for any political analyst, this is a significant new development.
There have been complaints from some quarters in the past that the very word “Gorkha” denies inclusivity to ‘non-Gorkhas’ and thus the appeal or reach of such parties do not extend beyond the Gorkha dominated areas of Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars. Perhaps the newly formed Jan Andolan Party wants to project itself as a “non-denominational,” a “non-community specific” political party which seeks to highlight the numerous issues facing our region, and thus promote regional development.
To understand the origination of the term “Jan Andolan” we have to rewind back to 2013, a year prior to 2014 MP elections. “Intellectuals” based in Delhi and led by Mr. Munish Tamang had flouted a group called “Jan Awaz” [Details: on.fb.me/1UtWhW7].
The newly formed group tried to create some noise back then, and also took out a rally in support of Gorkhaland in Delhi. For various reasons, they could not find much traction in Darjeeling region and “Jan Awaz” died a convenient death post the 2014 elections. However, those “intellectuals” behind the idea of a “Jan Awaz - People’s Voices” remained persistent and are now at the helm of “Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh.”
A cursory glance of the recent changes in political spectrum in our region, sort of puts more credence to the fact that the emergence of “Jan Andolan Party – People’s Movement Party” is not a random outcome. Somewhere someone has been putting a lot of thought into the shape, scope and agenda of this new political outfit.
Recently a new body “Chiya Bagan Sangram Samiti, or the Tea Garden Movement Committee” was formed, the formative meeting organized in Siliguri was attended by representatives from a ultra-left CPI(ML), CPRM and also Dr. Mahendra P Lama [Details: on.fb.me/1SezsZ4]. To those observing closely, it comes as no surprise that many of the post holders in this organization [CBSS], include the top brass of “Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh” including its President Mr. Sukman Moktan and VP Mr. Munish Tamang [Details: bit.ly/1SezzUq].
There is a definite trend here. ‘Jan Awaz’ of 2013 has today metamorphosed into ‘Jan Andolan,’ and they are increasing the scope of their influence. However, for them to be able to do so, they had to shed the “Gorkha” tag.
Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri the leader of Jan Andolan Party has repeatedly insisted that “we should give up the politics of emotions, and indulge in practical politics, or the politics of rational,” and while I applaud his vision, I want to ask him this. Is the demand for a separate state for the Gorkhas not a practical and rational demand?
In the 23 point Manifesto released by Jan Andolan Party, the words “Gorkha” or “Gorkhaland” do not feature at all.
Some of my friends who are “intellectuals,” and thus vocal supporters of Jan Andolan party and its “intellectual” leadership point out the very 1st agenda on Jan Andolan Party’s manifesto and claim that the demand for a separate state is JAP’s priority.
The 1st point reads: “Work towards the goal of AUTONOMY and SELF-GOVERNANCE by the eventual attainment of a separate state of this region based on the principle of inclusiveness, territorial contiguity, cultural harmony and economic and political rationality, all the time bearing in mind the twin concerns of national integrity and security.”
While the phrase “eventual attainment of a separate state” sounds nice, what JAP has conveniently left out is the point which inspires the demand for the “separate state” – i.e. the reason why are we demanding a separate state to begin with?
Unlike the demand for Telangana, which was about fostering development in the neglected regions, the demand for a separate of Gorkhaland is about creating a niche, an identity reference point for the Gorkhas living in India.
Yes! misgovernance, discrimination and socio-economic and cultural exploitation are very strong reasons to demand a separate state, however for the Gorkhas living in India, most important of all we need a state which resolves the “IDENTITY CRISIS” faced by our community, and a state of “Gorkhaland” would go a long way in resolving the ambiguity surrounding the nationality of our community.
By keeping mum on the word “Gorkha” and “Gorkhaland” while JAP is likely to gain votes in the plains, the obvious question that one wants to thus ask is this, would a “Jan Andolan” in our region be possible without the involvement of the “Gorkhas”? Form whom do JAP hope to cause the "andolan"? Why should "Gorkhas" become a part of the "andolan" when the new party is abhorred to even using the name of our community?
Another significant omission which rattled me is this, even though JAP manifesto does talk of, “Ensure[ing] equality and quality in educational opportunities for the coming generations, especially the poor and the needy” [Section 14]. What is surprising is the fact that a political party flouted by so called “intellectuals” is mum on the demand for a Central University in our region. It is also mum on any specialized educational and training institutes such as AIIMs, IITs, IIMs to be formed in our region.
JAP is also mum on the inclusion of our region into North-east Council which would not only expedite the development process through the allocation of additional resources, but would also lay the foundation for our breaking away from Bengal.
Speaking to Indian Express, Dr. Harka yesterday said, “When you go to the Assembly as an MLA, your high command is the state government. Until you are in a good relationship with the state government, how can you get your demands met for the people who you are answerable to?” [Details: bit.ly/1WQuUqH].
It was quiet revelatory of what the Jan Andolan Party hopes to achieve – excellent relations with Bengal, so that their benevolence may somehow foster economic development in our region. Gorkha “intellectuals” in JNU use a word “State-ist” to define those who pander to the ruling government at the cost of the issue or cause at hand. JAP seems to fulfill that definition to the T.
Perhaps, why JAP has knowingly failed to mention these issues is best explained by Section 16 of their manifesto wherein they seek to, “Foster, nurture and develop human resources with the GOAL of CAPABILITY BUILDING for REAL AUTONOMY AND SELF-GOVERNANCE.”
I don’t know what others think about this particular section, for me one message emerges out loud – currently we are not capable of running our own affairs and we need to focus on “capability building” to be eligible for real autonomy and self-governance.
“Real Autonomy” can mean anything, and so can “self-governance.” Panchayat is a self-governance body, GTA is an autonomous body and if it were handed over all the powers and departments by the treacherous Bengal government as agreed to on GTA Accord, then it would have real autonomy too. So what do JAP mean by these terms – “real autonomy” and “self-governance”?
It is also important to note that this document [JAP Manifesto] was possibly prepared by the same group of “intellectuals” who negotiated on our behalf and pushed our demand for Gorkhaland to accepting GTA [Proof: https://youtu.be/KeaI_SqeckY].
So when they start talking about “Real Autonomy” and “Self-Governance” it makes me question their sincerity towards Gorkhaland statehood.
However, I wish the new party good luck in their endeavour and hope that they will remain sincere, committed and honest towards the cause they believe in. Darjeeling needs a united and strong opposition, and I am hopeful that Jan Andolan Party will fulfill that gap.
I also sincerely hope that, much like how “Jan Awaz” and Prof. MP Lama conveniently disappeared after 2014 elections, “Jan Andolan” doesn’t disappear after 2016 elections.
Jai Gorkha!! Jai Gorkhaland!!
Via The Darjeeling Chronicle
