The Gorkhas are treated like animals in a zoo - Subash Ghishing

3:45 PM

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Subash Ghisingh

Illustrated weekly of India, Bombay, June 28,1987

Why didn’t you let me tape you?

No, I got into a lot of trouble after your last report. You quoted me on very sensitive issues and declared that the extract were from a taped conversation. I could note even deny it as you had actually used a tape recorder.

Which statements of you created trouble?

I gave you name of R A W and SIB officers with whom I interacted. You published their names why? Are you working for some foreign intelligence agency? The home ministry was very upset by my statements.
I told you about Inder Jit of INFA. You published that too. I cannot understand your motives. But I have made a new rule. I will not allow any reporter to tape my interviews. I don’t want to get into trouble.

Are you aware that West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and Union Home Minister Buta Singh met on June 16 in Calcutta and categorically ruled out the creation of Gorkhaland ?

The WB state government and the Union home ministry have entered into a conspiracy to humiliate all Gorkhas. I have received this information from secret source.
Rajiv Gandhi has been imprisoned in a dark room. He is completely in the dark. Buta singh and Jyoti Basu are acting against the Prime Minister’s wishes. Is it not true that Buta Singh has agreed to send more para-military forces to suppress our genuine movement?

Yes, Jyoti Basu asked for reinforcements and Buta Singh quickly agreed, Six companies more, to be precise.

I cannot understand why Buta Singh came to Calcutta. Is Jyoti Basu the Prime Minister of Bengal that Union home minister had to call on him? Jyoti Basu is a mere chief Minister. Buta Singh should have summoned him to Delhi. By going to Calcutta, he has put down himself and the office he holds.

Were you expecting Buta Singh to make a dramatic announcement after the meeting with Jyoti Basu ?

Not Dramatic announcement. If he had announce the date for the delegation’s meeting with Rajiv Gandhi. I would have withdrawn the 13day bandh from June 20. Now the bandh is on.

I spoke to dozens of ordinary Nepali people, They are worried. Especially daily wage earners, who might starve for 13 days. The poor people will be crippled economically it will be a big economic loss ?

Why do you call it economic loss? call it sacrifice. Forget income and earnings, people are ready to sacrifice their lives for the creation of Gorkhaland. A separate state is a must. The Gorkhas are treated like animals in a zoo. You speak of 13 days, My frustrated brothers and sisters are exhorting me to organize a 13 year bandh to ensure the creation of Gorkhaland.

The central government has ruled out the possibility of separate state. Apart from Buta Singh and P Chidambaram, Union Home Secretary C G Somaiah stated at Simla on June 8 that Centre has categorically informed you that there is no question of a separate Gorkha state within India ?

There are chaiwallas, panwallas, rickshawallas, and mochis. They may say anything. Do your expect me to pay attention to their words? I want to discuss the genuine grievances of the Gorkhas with Rajiv Gandhi.

But Rajiv Gandhi too has said that there will be no Gorkhaland.

The WB police and the Centre’s para-militar forces have never treated Gorkhas as Indians. We have received the treatment reserved for enemies of India. If the police commits excesses. I cannot guarantee a peaceful band.

You met Buta Singh in Delhi on may 15 was the meeting fruitful?

I had to wait for 15 days to get 15 minutes of the Home Minister’s valuable time. This is how they treat the representative of the people. Buta Singh promised to arrange a meeting with Rajiv Gandhi. But he has not kept his word.
The kursis in Delhi are perfect but the men who sit on the kursis are hopeless.
Buta Singh served us tea, barfi and kaju. This is the politics of Delhi. And the fourth ingredient of Delhi’s politics is the press release. But my meeting was not covered by Doordarshan. Why ?

Perhaps, because they didn’t want to give you legitimacy.

I am very confused. The Gorkhas are simple people. But nobody should take advantage of their simplicity. There are thousands of ex-servicemen living in Darjeeling, what will happen if they get arms? Do you think that the CRP and BSF will be able to hold us? Nobody should at least blame me if the situation goes out of control.

Are your receiving financial assistance from China?

No. we are patriots. We are funded by the people. There is no dearth of funds. We collected Rs 5.70 lakhs in May to finance the delegation to Delhi. Each person paid only Rs.10

Where is the unspent money?

I am not accountable to the press. I am accountable only to my people.

You are still confident of getting Gorkhaland ?

Very much. Surely by the end of 1987 by hook or by crook. After the 13 day bandh, I will let the people steer the course of the movement. And the people are becoming increasingly aggressive. The state cannot give us anything. And the center has flirted with us for too long.


HAMRO APPA

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Harka Bahadur Working For ‪‎Bengal‬ - GJM

7:17 AM

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West Bengal

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today said the party did not want to work with the state government as Calcutta would never agree to Gorkhaland and lashed out at Harka Bahadur Chhetri for allegedly acting at the behest of the state government to belittle the demand.

In a statement, Binay Tamang, assistant general secretary of the Morcha, said: "The Morcha does not want to work with the state government because our only demand is Gorkhaland and supporters of the Gorkhaland cause know we will never get statehood by working closely with the state."

Lashing out at the Kalimpong MLA, he said: "Even Chhetri knows this reality and yet, he has gone to Mamata Banerjee's camp because just like Subash Ghisingh, he, too, has been sold to the government. He has sold the Gorkhaland demand and his self esteem for the MLA post and power."

Source: Telegraph

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Whither Gorkha Land?

7:50 AM

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Subash Ghisingh

Writes: NN Ojha

In my last write up for this column captioned ‘Bihar Elections Results And Gorkha Land’ [Details: bit.ly/1ZVuDET] the opening sentence, ‘Gorkha Land is once again the talk of the town’ was in a way an expression of the incorrigible optimism all of us have collectively preserved rather painstakingly for over a century. It is a unique movement that has survived many ups and downs and has witnessed during its long but untiring journey tides and ebbs of hope and despair repeatedly. 

At times the movement witnessed the proverbial slip ‘between the cup and the lips’. In the early 1980s under the charismatic leadership of the late Subhash Ghising there was a mass upsurge in favor of Gorkhaland and more than a thousand youths sacrificed their lives. The police and paramilitary forces unleashed by the state and the central authorities could not deter the masses and everyone was hopeful that Gorkhaland could soon become reality. Just then alas the crest fell into a trough. In December 1985 Mr Ghising signed an agreement that the demand for Gorkhaland was being given up ‘in larger national interest’ and an autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India was agreed to as ‘full and final settlement.’ 

What was the ‘larger national interest’ that could be secured only by denial of statehood to Gorkhaland and how could a council, howsoever autonomous, be ‘full and final settlement’ so long as the region continued as sidekick of west Bengal isn’t known till date. Was it an act of betrayal? Well prima facie it was but going by the iconic stature of Ghising and his long years of service to the community one has to give him the benefit of doubt. 

In 2013 we once again missed the goal after coming within touching distance The tripartite agreement by the governments of India and west Bengal with the GJMM led by Bimal Gurung in July 2011 had an explicit clause and a tacit understanding. The explicit clause incorporated at the very outset of the agreement recognized the legitimacy of the demand for Gorkhaland. The tacit understanding was that decision on the demand would be taken along with Telangana. Hence when Telangana was decided upon with no whiff of Gorkhaland protests erupted all over the region once again. 

Those who witnessed this phase of the movement were deeply impressed by its peaceful and disciplined character in spite of massive turnouts. It remained peaceful in the face of provocation by the ruling politicians of west Bengal and occasional excesses by the police and paramilitary personnel. The movement was at its peak when all political forces of the region came together on a common platform of Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee or JAC. The impact of the unprecedented show of unity was truly spectacular. Had the momentum been preserved the least that could be reasonably expected was the government announcing a road map and time frame for formation of Gorkhaland. 

But just then the JAC that had emerged as the symbol of the unconquerable power and unity of the Gorkha suddenly and mysteriously dissipated. Once again we experienced the slip between the cup and the lips. It wasn’t betrayal as much as perhaps an invisible fear of political obliteration by those who joined the JAC under political compulsion sensing the mood of the masses but possibly without commitment or sense of purpose. The wrecking of the JAC could also be because of apprehension most common among politicians that credit for success seen round the corner could be hogged by some to the exclusion of the others.. Obviously the authorities in Kolkata had every reason to feel happy about the breakup and would have even put in efforts in their own way to bring it about. 

Betrayal was yet to come. It came in September 2015 when Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetri GJM’s chosen MLA from Kalimpong and a trusted lieutenant of Bimal Gurung turned out to be a Trojan horse of sorts. The triggering point for the betrayal was a directive by GJMM that the three MLAs from hills who were elected with the party’s support must resign and Dr Chhetri’s defiance thereof. Party’s directive to resign could be debatable and the MLA’s right to resist the directive could be perfectly justifiable. What was baffling however was the manner in which Dr Harka Bahadur started glorifying Mamta Banerjee the chief minister who insulted the hill politicians, ridiculed the Gorkhaland movement and has been consistently trying every trick in the book to divide and rule destroying in the process the age old social fabric characterized traditionally by perfect social harmony. 

In this crossword puzzle of personal ambitions, political dissensions and petty rivalries where does Gorkhaland figure? Or does it figure any longer at all? Let us carry out a reality check on some of the players. 

GJMM is still swearing by their commitment to Gorkhaland at least overtly and keep on holding occasional public meetings, pad yatras and protest demonstrations in Delhi’s Jantarmantar. The Darjeeling MP who got elected on BJP’s ticket with support from GJMM on the exclusive plank of Gorkhaland hasn’t till now taken any tangible steps demonstrative of his commitment. His apologists claim that the MP’s silence is due to political compulsions of the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly election after which they seem hopeful of significant progress. We have to wait and watch.

Subhash Ghising’s political heir Mann Ghising seems unsure whether to continue clinging to his late father’s demand of sixth schedule or to upgrade to the statehood demand. To what extent his reluctance or opposition to statehood demand helps his political survival only time will tell. Going by the present indications the approach seems suicidal to say the least. 

Singing paeans of Mamta Banerjee Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetri seems to have become a preacher giving sermons (as he did in Bijanbari on 8 January and in Mirik two days later) that people must refrain from ‘politics of sentiments’ that he thinks what the demand for Gorkhaland amounts to. The question of identity at the root of the century old movement is according to him an issue as trivial as the taxi drivers of Siliguri asking visitors from Darjeeling if they want to go to ‘Kakarvita’ (on the Indo-Nepal border near Siliguri) in the mistaken belief that we are from Nepal and not India. ‘What is the big deal’, asks Dr Chhetri and advises, ‘just tell them no we aren’t going to Kakarvita’ and asks ‘why get sentimental’. 

Dr Mahendra P Lama a highly respected intellectual from the region seems to have made common cause with Dr Chhetri as both of them are busy holding public meetings together with a common agenda of condemning the GJMM and also overtly arguing that the Gorkhaland can wait as there are other more pressing issues like ‘patta purja’ confronting the region. While Chhetri tends to run down the statehood demand as ‘politics of sentiments’ Lama’s discourse implies that no point crying hoarse about Gorkhaland unless our MP raises it in the Parliament. 

Dr Chhetri perhaps forgets that sentiment and passion are two different constructs. Sentiment may be transient and only skin deep but passion is far deeper and pervasive for human soul. A common man in the region is passionate about Gorkhaland, not just sentimental. 

Before you trivialize the identity issue Dr Chhetri I suggest read an article, ‘What Gorkhaland means to a non Drjeelingey Gorkha’ by a young man Dinesh Sharma [Details: bit.ly/22UkxGA]. May be you will stand educated how shallow your own perception of the identity issue is when you dismiss it just as some pep talk of Kakarvita by the cabbies of Siliguri.

Likewise to see for yourself how passionate the people especially our youth is about Gorkhaland I recommend you to an article by a young student of Philosophy from Sikkim University, Privat Giri, ‘Has Gorkhaland become Tuberculosis’ [Details: on.fb.me/1OJ8rKf]. 

Is there any reason to believe that the century old struggle for separation of Gorkhaland from West Bengal is coming to naught? Certainly not. Gorkhaland isn’t withering away. It is being frittered away by some of our political leaders. Will they succeed in frittering it away? I don’t think so. Before they fritter it away they shall wither away from the region’s political scene to be remembered by posterity only as self-serving turncoats and not as leaders in any sense of the term. Who will make it possible? The common man, with the youth at the forefront. 

Come next elections and you will see my assessment getting duly validated hopefully.

Source The Darjeeling Times

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A documentary on Subash Ghisingh "Khoji Chinhariko" released

9:00 PM

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Subash Ghisingh

The Gorkha National Liberation Front’s (GNLF) women’s wing has launched ‘Khoji Chinhariko,’ (in search of identity) a short documentary on their party chief Subash Ghisingh.

The video was released in Mirik under the Kurseong sub-division during the 10th Sixth Schedule Accord Day the party celebrated in Mirik on 6 December.

Former GNLF MLA from Kurseong and the chief guest of the programme, NB Chettri, and the Gorkha National Women’s Organisation, Darjeeling branch president, Manjila Tamang released the CDs.

Talking to reporters here, Mrs Tamang said the CD aims at making GNLF supporters and members aware of the different work Mr Ghisingh has done for the Gorkha community.
She added that they have compiled several work and facts about Mr Ghisingh from diffrent sources and compiled them into the CD.

The documentary shows the Hill leader’s fight against governments while he spearheaded an agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland in Darjeeling Hills, the birth of the autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, and his demand for the Sixth Schedule status for the Hills.

Mrs Tamang said there is no price tag for the 31-minute film and that only limited number of copies has been distributed among GNLF supporters only.

The CD cover has a picture of Mr Ghisingh from the time he led the Gorkhaland agitation in the 1980s, the GNLF party symbol, khukuri, and three stars, and a lotus flower, the symbol of the GNLF’s women wing. sns

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GNLF to intensify its agitation for Sixth Schedule

9:13 AM

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Subash Ghisingh

The GNLF held a meeting in Darjeeling on Sunday to commemorate the signing of a memorandum of settlement by the Centre, state and former party president Subash Ghisingh on December 6, 2005, to bring the hills under the Sixth Schedule.

At the meeting, Bhanu Lama, the organising secretary of the GNLF, said the party would intensify its agitation to bring the hills under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

GNLF marks 6th Scheduled Accord Signing Day Samjhauta Divas

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OPEN LETTER TO GNLF CHIEF MANN GHISING

3:05 PM

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Subash Ghisingh

Open letter to GNLF‬ president Mann Ghisingh on his controversial statement on traditional dress of Daura Sural and Chowbandi Choli in his recent press release.

Writes Dipendra Khati

Dear Mann Jojo,

I am very confused about on what language should I write this letter to you. Though English emanated from England (Official language of England), I found it to be universally accepted, so that is the language that I chose to communicate with you today, hope you will not be displeased with it, as it seems these days you are getting annoyed at things that are not from Darjeeling.

 Late. Subhas Ghising always wore his Dhaka-Topi with pride

According to your official statement dated 21/8/2015, you claim that Daura Suruwal is the official dress of Nepal and people going to Delhi and Kolkata in this dress are ‘पट्ट मुर्खहरु - Patt Murkha haru”.

Here, I would like to inform you that Daura Suruwal is not just Official dress of Nepal, but also the traditional dress of Nepali/Gorkha people, though some communities have their own dresses, but majority of the Gorkhali people wear it. I don’t find any logic behind your statement. Do you want us to not use Daura Suruwal, Chaubandi Choli and all other Nepali dresses and ornaments just because they are – according to you – “Official dress of Nepal?”

Ok let me accept that…

But what about language? Your official statement came in Nepali language… isn’t that “Nepal ko Sarkari bhasa”??

Going by your logic we should not be using that language too, because it’s the “official language of Nepal.” So pray tell me, why did you choose to communicate in Nepali?

Our Nepali proverb, “काम पायिनस बुहारी कनिका पोखौंदै उठा" summarizes what you just did.

I think there are many issue and topic you can talk about, and of all the things you could have talked about, you chose to speak about our जातीय पोशाक??

Late. Subash Ghising must be turning in his grave, for he always wore his “जातीय ढाकाको टोपी” with pride and in fine style. I wonder what he would have said to your comment on our जातीय पोशाक??

Moreover, I found that you sound more hypocrite when you talk about “पुरनो रिती रिवाजहरुले भरिएको बहुमुल्य संस्कृतिलाई सन्बैधनिक सुरक्षा प्रदान गर्नको लागि साथ् साथै गोर्खा जातीको चिन्हारीलाई पनि सजिलै बोक्नसक्ने नयाँ नाम करण भएको "गोर्खा हिल्ल काउन्सिल” this and later you phrase out “नेपाल देश को सरकारी पोसाक लगएर दिल्ली कोलकाता”... don’t those Daura Suruwal come under “पुरनो रिती रिवाजहरुले भरिएको बहुमुल्य संस्कृति”????

Ohh and most important issue here, you said, “गोर्खा जाती को चिन्हारीलाई पनि सजिलै बोक्नसक्ने नयाँ नाम करण भएको "गोर्खा हिल्ल काउन्सिल” really?? If the नाम करण of ‘GORKHA Hill Council’ can carry carry गोर्खा जाती को चिन्हारी then why GORKHALAND Territorial Administration (I am not a supporter of GTA) wouldn’t do the same, if not better?

By the way it seems you were not told why our Aappa Late. Subhas Ghising came and fought for Gorkhaland. As I see no mention of word Gorkhaland in your official statement. May be you forgot or.....??....

You have said “यदी यी कुराहरुमा सरकार अघी बढ़दैन भने गो रा मु मो ले हाम्रो भुभागबारे केन्द्र सरकारसित वार्ता को बाटो खोल्न वाध्य हुनेछ” what was that? What stops you? Why not??

If you want to engage with central Govt. about our land, that will be very appreciable, but I am very suspicious about that comment of yours.

Sorry Jojo, I am no body to judge you, but what I felt is... ‘हजुर पनि त्यहि ढ्यांग को मुला हुनु हुदा रैछ”

Thank you
Dipendra Khati
Well wisher of Maato and Jaati... Not Neta or Party


Via The Darjeeling Chronicle

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Term Gorkhaland Coined by British officer not Subash Ghishing - Roshan Giri

10:09 AM

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Subash Ghisingh

Roshan Giri, a senior Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader, today waved a book by a British officer written before India's Independence and said the term "Gorkhaland", contrary to popular belief, was not used by Subash Ghisingh first, but by Major W. Brook Northey.

Roshan Giri says Birtish officer, not Ghisingh, first used the word Gurkha-land to describe hills

Giri, at a seminar organised by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's Study Forum, said: "Everyone thinks it was Subash Ghisingh who coined the word but this is not the truth. The word was coined by W. Brook Northey in his book The Land of the Gurkhas in 1937."

Giri's assertion comes days after Mann Ghisingh, the younger son of the late GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh, hinted that the party would have no option but to demand statehood if its Sixth Schedule demand was not met by the Centre. If the GNLF now gives a call for statehood, it will be realigning its campaign to suit the popular sentiment in the hills.


By mentioning the book, Giri's tired to burn a hole into the GNLF's claim that their late leader had coined the term "Gorkhaland", honouring which Subash Ghisingh's party also observed Gorkhaland Namakaran Diwas - a Gorkhaland Naming Day - on its founding day, April 5.

The full title of the book mentioned by Giri is The Land of the Gurkhas or the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal.

The British always wrote Gurkhas, not Gorkhas. Major Northey served in the 1st Gurkha Rifles.

Giri, while waving the book at the audience, said: "This book should dispel all false claims."

Metro managed to get a copy of the book that Giri had waved at the audience at Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan in Darjeeling today.

Page 201 of Chapter XX - titled The Eastern Border - in the book reads as follows: "Although a visit to Nepal, or even crossing the Nepalese frontier, may not be possible for everyone, it may be of interest to note for the benefit of those desirous of learning more of the Gurkha's cheerful and engaging personality that in Darjeeling there is what may be termed an Indian Gurkha-land, where he can be studied at first hand without let or hindrance."

On page 221 of the book, in the chapter Darjeeling Today (Chapter XXII), Northey wrote: "Less vividly attired but hardly less picturesque are the Nepalese women, for Darjeeling bazaar is the Bond Street of Gurkha-land, and here the shawls and veils which the women wear over the heads, Italian-fashion, are of a texture and a colour rarely seen in Nepal proper, to which high-heeled shoes will possibly be added in due course."

The seminar at which Giri was speaking today is titled Gorkhaland 2015: Creation of smaller states and the demand for Gorkhaland as well as relevance of Gorkhaland to the Indian Gorkha identity.

Mann, when told about the usage of Gurkha-land before his father, said today: "We will have to see and find out."

From the preface of Northey's book it is clear that he had worked with the Gurkha Regiment for 20 years, which included training the Nepal Escort in Kathmandu in 1910, service with the Nepalese Contingent on the Indian frontier during the World War I and in the post of recruiting officer for five years.

The book is largely on Nepal and Northey, while explaining his work, states in the preface: "In writing this book, undertaken at the suggestion of many friends, I have tried to steer a middle course between those accounts of Nepal, inevitably cursory and incomplete, that are to be found in ordinary works of travel whose authors have paid merely brief visits to that little-known country, and the more elaborate and exhaustive works written by those who from their close connection, official or non-official, with the country, can claim to be actual experts on the subject."

According to the book, Northey was also conferred with the Order of the Star of Nepal title.

Even though the demand for a separate administrative unit for the Darjeeling hills was raised in 1907, post-Independence, Ghisingh was the first to use the term after the GNLF was formed on April 5, 1980.

Source: Telegraph

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GJM seeks SSC and CSC for the GTA.

11:55 PM

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Subash Ghisingh

Roshan Giri, GTA Executive Member, Dr Harkha Bahadur Chettri, MLA Kalimpong and Dr Rohit Sharma, MLA Kurseong had a meeting with West Bengal education minister, Partha Chatterjee at Bikash Bhavan and raised the issue of setting up of a separate School Service Commission ( SSC) and College Service Commission (CSC) for the GTA.

GJM seeks SSC and CSC for the GTA - meeting with West Bengal education minister,
Partha Chatterjee at Bikash Bhavan 

The 3 member delegation was informed by the minister that the formalities for setting up a separate SSC and CSC have been completed and that a note would be placed before the state cabinet for its final approval.

The meeting was also attended by Vivek Kumar, secretary, higher secondary education department and Arnab Roy, secretary, secondary education of the state government.

The earlier Left Front Government had formed the School Service Commission exclusively for the hill areas in 1999. However, the then Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council had refused to give appointment to candidates who had cleared the SSC (hills) examinations in 2000 and 2002. However, after Subash Ghisingh resigned as the caretaker administrator of the DGHC in 2008, our party pressurized to issue appointment letters to those candidates who had passed the earlier examinations.
The issue of online admission process in colleges were also discussed in the meeting today. The delegation told the minister that since internet connectivity and electrification in the hills was poor, the online process for admission in colleges should be exempted for the hill areas.

The other issues raised were regarding employing 515 para teachers and 127 adhoc teachers in various vacancies in the hills and also the creation of 79 posts under the Right to Education.

Source: Bimal Gurung Official

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