The Gorkha Land Crisis and Initiatives of Mamata Banerjee

 The Gorkha Land Crisis and Initiatives of Mamata Banerjee

                                            - Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal

                                   E-Mail:  mandalkeshab2013@gmail.com

In April, 1980 Subhas Ghisingh formed the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), coined the word “Gorkhaland” and demanded for a separate state. On May 11, 1986 Nima Theeng was killed in police firing in Panighata, which was the first death in GNLF agitation. Again on 25 May, 1986 five persons died in police firing in Kurseong. This fomented the agitation and Ghisingh became an undisputed leader of Gorkha people. The GNLF used to call frequent bandhs and disrupt normal life. Between the years 1986-1988, the GNLF called for a 40 day bandh. In those black days, shutdowns then were anywhere between 48 hours and 108 hours. At the peak of the agitation, nearly 50 companies of central forces – the CRPF and the BSF – were deployed across the hills. And finally on August 22, 1988 the Centre, state and the GNLF signed an agreement in Calcutta to form the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). Since then Darjeeling was under control and peace and tranquility was prevailing in the hills.

Sixth Schedule: a New Chapter

But peace did not last long in the life of the ‘beauty queen’. After a decade of normalcy, the situation turned turbulent again. Subhas Ghisingh on February 8, 2001 raised the demand to include the hills in the Sixth Schedule, which would grant special status to the region. With this call, Darjeeling once again became a matter of hot debate. In the meantime popularity of Subhas Ghisingh was declined. The state government also failed to bring him under control. On February 10, 2001 Subhas Ghisingh was attacked at Saath Ghoomti near Kurseong. Naturally, the supporters of Ghisingh came to streets and started protest movements.

Next on January 1, 2005 all elected councilors of the DGHC resigned and Ghisingh became “sole caretaker of the DGHC”. The day marked the end of an elected body in charge of the DGHC. Ghisingh kept on demanding for Sixth Schedule and continued agitation. As a result, on December 6, 2005, Subhas Ghisingh, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal and Bengal chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb signed the “Memorandum of settlement” in New Delhi to confer Sixth Schedule status.

Rise of Bimal Gurung

On September 23, 2007 Prashant Tamang, a singer from Darjeeling, won a reality show. Bimal Gurung, the man behind mobilizing support for the singer, cashed in on the anti Ghisingh sentiment across the hills during the campaign to help the singer win the contest. The GNLF chief had refused publicly to back Prashant. Again the problem started to grow in hills and the State Government was not stern in handling the situation, rather it was soft on Subhas Ghishingh.

Surprisingly Bimal Gururng, one time close associate of Subhas Ghishing, went against his mentor. In 2007 a lot of developments took place in hill politics. On October 1, 2007 Bimal Gurung spoke against the Sixth Schedule for the first time.  This caused his expulsion from GNLF and on October 4, 2007 Bimal Gurung was finally expelled from the party for his ‘anti party activities.” It seems that Gurung was seeking for such an action from his party supremo, so that he can start his own party. Gurung did not waste time to form a new party and just three days after his expulsion from the party Bimal Gurung floated Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Darjeeling. On the other hand, Subhas Ghisingh on 15 November, 2007 celebrated the inclusion of the Sixth Schedule bill in the list of business of the winter session of Parliament. In this way the rift between Ghisingh and Gurung was widened.

End of Ghisingh’s 20 Year Old Rule

On November 30, 2007 the Sixth Scheduled Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2007, and the Constitutional (107^th Amendment) Bill, 2007 was introduced in Parliament by the then Union Home minister Shivraj Patil. The bill was immediately referred to the standing committee on home affairs. This made the GNLF frustrated, because going to standing committee means going to cold room and there was little chance for clearing the bill in its appropriate form. However, on December 3, 2007, the Morcha led by Bimal Gurung called a four-day general strike to protest the demand for Sixth Schedule status. February 18, 2008 witnessed hundreds of Morcha supporters’ gathering at strategic points across the hills to stop Ghisingh from entering the region on his return from Delhi. Being unable to enter in his own place, Subhas Ghisingh stayed at Pintail village. In the meantime the state government on February 20, 2008 refused to extend the tenure of Subhas Ghisingh as “caretaker” administrator beyond March 24, 2008. Ghishingh rushed to Calcutta to meet the then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

While there was tug of war between Subhas Ghisingh and State Government, Bimal Gurung began to increase his strength in the hills. Gurung was then considered as the most powerful political leader in the hills. Hence, on February 27, 2008 the then chief minister Bhattacharjee invited Bimal Gurung for talks to Writers’ Buildings for the first time even as the Morcha intensified its hunger strike and general shutdown. On February 28, 2008 the standing committee on home affairs advised the government to go ahead with the implementation of the Sixth Schedule bill with “caution”. Therefore the Bill was shelved forever. After that on March 10, 2008 Subhas Ghisingh resigned as caretaker administrator of the DGHC on the request of the chief minister. This marked the end of his 20 year rule. At last being powerless Subhas Ghisingh returned to Darjeeling on March 16, 2008. 

Morcha Intensifies Agitation

With the resignation of Subhas Ghishing, Bimal Gurung emerged as the main player in Darjeeling hill areas. In April (2008) Morcha called for a boycott on payment of taxes to the state government. The agitation started to take a disruptive shape and people’s normal life was stagnated. When there was a rally of ex-servicemen at Darjeeling More in Siliguri, police lathi charged on them. The government tried to put pressure on the Morcha movement, but it defied the government’s red eyes and called another strike. Bimal Gurung was sure and over-confident that ‘Gorkhaland’ would be achieved by March, 2010.

Bimal Gurung began to dictate the people and dominate the hill administration. Gurung-led Morcha asked hill people to replace “WB” with “GL” on vehicle number plates. Drive fizzled out after vehicles with “GL” on number plates were attacked in the plains and seized by police. On July 25, 2008 Pramila Sharma, Morcha activist, was killed by a bullet allegedly fired from the house of GNLF leader Deepak Gurung. Houses of GNLF leaders were ransacked and burnt across the hills. Subhas Ghisingh left the hills the next day, and went to Jalpaiguri for staying permanently there.

However, on September 8, 2008 the centre invited the Morcha and the Bengal government for the first time in the series of 11 tripartite meetings. Bimal Gurung started imposing whips for hill people one after another. Common hill people became helpless, but accepted the dictates. Again on October 7, 2008 Morcha made it mandatory for hill people to wear traditional dresses during the month-long tourist season. On 17 October, 2008 the Morcha asked hill shopkeepers to write “Gorkhaland” on shops’ signboards. Subsequently, “West Bengal” was replaced with “Gorkhaland” on boards of government offices. The government in Kolkata was observing all these things callously and failed to control the agitation. The softness of the government on Bimal Gurung created the situation more complex and the situation went out of its control.

All these created dissatisfaction and anger in the minds of a large section of Gorkha people. As a result common people became angry with the activities of Morcha. This caused a clash in the Dooars between pro and anti-Gorkhaland supporters. Bimal Gurung was stopped, along with over 10,000 supporters, while trying to enter the region. In the clash over 100 people were injured. Government had to deploy CRPF in the region, and it even compelled to put a ban on sale of liquor in the hills, but it was lifted afterwards. 

Morcha on the Backfoot

On May 21, 2010 Madan Tamang, a critic of the interim set up, was hacked to death allegedly by Morcha supporters in broad day light. After that Bimal Gurung dropped the idea of interim set-up and re-christened the state that the Morcha had been demanding as Gorkha-Adivasi Pradesh to woo tribes. But the Akhil Bharitiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad rejected the proposal. Three months after the murder of Madan Tamang, a Morcha leader Nickole Tamang was arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder case. But police failed to keep him under their safe custody, and Nickole escaped from CID camp at Pintail village, for which Morcha alleged foul play. Again three Morcha members were shot dead in police firing at Sibchu when Gurung attempted to march to the Dooars.

The then Opposition party Trinamool Congress was favoring the Morcha leadership and sought early settlement. In September (2010) Mamata Banerjee visited Darjeeling for the first time since 1999 and announced many development projects as railway minister. Morcha extended warm welcome and subsequently extended unconditional support to the Trinamool Congress alliance across the Dooars and Terai for the Assembly elections. There was a clear alliance between the Morcha and the Trinamool Congress. In the Assembly elections three Morcha candidates won from the hill seats. After the winning of three seats from the hill regions, Mamata Banerjee held the first ever formal meeting with Morcha leaders at the Writers’ Buildings. Afterwards the West Bengal government and Morcha agreed on the name of the new body - the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. On July 18, 2011 tripartite agreement was signed by the Morcha, the Centre and the state in Pintail village for the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). 

The New Agreement

Now let us see how the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) stacked up against the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in 1988.

Composition of GTA and DGHC

Out of total 50 members, 45 members to be directly elected and five to be nominated by the governor from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women and minority communities. MP, MLAs and chairmen of municipalities will be made ex-officio members of the GTA. A chief executive will head the GTA and a deputy chief executive to be nominated by the chief executive. A chairperson and a deputy chairperson will conduct the business of the GTA Sabha.

But in DGHC there were 42 Members. Out of them, 28 were elected and 14 were nominated by the state. MP and MLAs were ex-officio members. The Body was headed by a chairperson and vice chairperson, but there was no provision for a Sabha.

Provision of Finances

The GTA would receive Rs. 200 crore a year for three years from the Centre.  One-time financial assistance from either the Centre or the state would be given to set up the GTA Sabha. Also the Sabha is entitled to Secretariat complex and residential quarters. State government was to provide formula-based plan funds in two equal installments every year. State government would also give funds for non-plan expenditure. On the other hand, the annual central assistance of DGHC was only Rs. 22 crore. The state gave a matching amount of Rs. 22 crore. This excluded funds for non-plan expenditure.

Territorial Coverage

The areas under the DGHC were the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong and 13 mouzas of Siliguri sub-division. A committee is there to recommend whether the Gorkha-dominated parts of Siliguri, the Dooars and the Terai can be included under the GTA. Similarly, the DGHC was also comprised of the three hill sub-divisions and the 13 mouzas.

Legislative Power

No legislative power was handed over to GTA, but it could form rules and regulations under state acts to control, regulate and administer the departments, offices and subjects transferred to the new body. But, the DGHC did not have any legislative power and it did not enjoy power to frame rules.

Number of Departments

There are 59 departments, such as tauzi, agriculture, school education and college education under GTA. On the contrary, the earlier DGHC had only 19 departments.

Recruiting Power

The GTA was given powers to create posts for Group B, C, D staff with the approval of the governor and are entitled to recruit Group B, C and D staff through a subordinate service selection board. It has a provision of separate school service commission and college service commission for the GTA. But the earlier DGHC could not create posts, but it could only fill sanctioned vacancies in Group C and D, subject to approval from the state government.

Local Government

In the new Memorandum of Understanding of GTA there is a provision of a three-tier Panchayati Raj system, while in the earlier agreement of DGHC there was a provision of only two-tier Panchayat system.

Special Provisions

The GTA got some special provisions what the DGHC did not have. It was agreed that, the Union government would consider granting Scheduled Tribe status to all the Gorkhas, except those belonging to the Scheduled Castes. Besides, a package was declared for Rs. 6,000 to DGHC casual workers. It guaranteed service till the age of 60 with increase in salary for those who had completed 10 years in service; more pay for the rest. Workers of hill offices were brought under pension. A landmark decision was relating to the GTA youths - a euphemism for a Morcha volunteer force called Gorkhaland Personnel – who would be considered for recruitment to the security forces, subject to their suitability.

Projects

The GTA was given the responsibility to look after the development of the hill areas. The GTA will ensure water supply system in the hills. It will make multi-super-specialty medical college and hospital. Besides, hospitality and tourism management institutions are likely to come up. A new nursing college in the hill and Gorkha House in Delhi will be set up. For increasing production and supply of quality tea a research and development institute for tea and cinchona is to set up. As the old bridge had become very old a new bridge over Teesta River to connect the Dooars with Siliguri would be constructed. Multi-storied car parking arrangements would be ensured at Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. A circular road will be constructed to connect Darjeeling town, Lebong, Pandam and Jorebunglow. Lastly, with a view to increasing business and attracting tourists, it was proposed to make new ropeways at Kalimpong (Delo-Relly), Darjeeling (Tukvar-Singla and Batasia – Rock Garden), Mirik (Mirik-Kurseong) and Kurseong (Giddeypahar- Rohini).³

Fund Allotment to GTA

In 2012-13 additional Central Assistance of Rs. 65 crore had been allotted to Gorkha Territorial Administration for transfer of offices and establishments. While an amount of Rs. 63.69 crore under Plan Sector and Rs.244.18 crore under Non-Plan sector had been sanctioned to GTA during the financial year 2011-12, much more amount i.e. Rs. 194.11 crore under Plan Sector and Rs. 351.28 crore under Non-Plan Sector had also been allotted during the financial year 2012-13 under different sectors for development of hill areas of Darjeeling. Various schemes under communication, education, rural electrification, irrigation and waterways, tourism, health and family welfare, minor irrigation, public health engineering works have already been undertaken with the fund allotted to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. In spite of increased fund allotment by the state government, Bimal Gurung continued to create problem and soon the relation with the state government began to deteriorate.

Misunderstanding between Gurung and State Rebirths  

The relation between the Gorkha Territorial Administration and State Government was good for few months only and suddenly it started to turn bitter-sweet. Gurung was soon disenchanted with the behavior and policies of state government. On 4^th of February, 2013 at a party meeting at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Club, the GTA chairman Bimal Gurung expressed his desire to resign from the GTA within a few days. He declared that the Sabha (the 45-member elected body formed under the GTA Act) will sit for a meeting after which he would resign so that he could fully involve in the next phase of the Gorkhaland agitation. Citing the Chief Minister’s speech at Chowrastha as sensitive where Mamata Banerjee said that she is “rough and tough”, Bimal Gurung compared her with ‘Hitler’. 

As per the decision of the party, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha’s six member team visited Delhi to re-assert the demand of Gorkhaland before Central ministers. The Morcha also called an indefinite strike in the hills, though it exempted tea and cinchona plantations, two of the mainstays of the region, out of the purview of the strike. Bimal Gurung ultimately resigned from the GTA Sabha as per his earlier declaration. The state government had accepted Bimal Gurung’s resignation as chief executive officer of the GTA.  Bimal Gurung not only resigned from his office, he also threatened the boarding school students and tourists in the hills to leave during the three-day shutdown in the hills. Minutes after Digvijay Singh announced that the Congress had agreed to the formation of Telangana, Bimal Gurung started demanding for the Gorkhaland state. 

Delhi Inflamed Hill Strike

After the withdrawal of support by the Trinamool Congress from the UPA-II, the Union Government led by Indian Congress started to play political games and encouraged the Morcha leaders to go against the state government and start agitation in the hills. Mamata Banerjee blamed the Centre and Congress for the fresh round of agitation for statehood. The Chief Minister reiterated her love for Darjeeling and said it is a part and parcel of Bengal. She expressed her willingness to stay united and called the people of the hills as her brothers and sisters. She further promised to maintain peace in the Hills. As a result of unwise strikes in the hill; tourism business faced a huge loss. Tour operators and hoteliers, who did brisk business between 2011 and 2013 after a lean period since 2007 when Morcha launched the Gorkhaland movement, had suffered losses as strikes went on during the Puja days of 2013.  

Mamata Banerjee Turned Stern against Morcha

The continuous strike by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha made Mamata Banerjee furious.  On 22^nd August, 2013 when Bimal Gurung said that it would continue with its strike and closure would continue for an indefinite period following the arrest of Binay Tamang, one of the party’s senior leaders, and a Gurung confidant, also the Assistant General Secretary of the Morcha and a GTA Sabha member, Mamata Banerjee took more repressive measures without bending before the threats of Morcha leaders. The arrest of around 1500 Morcha activists and leaders signaled the resolve of the state government to act tough as long as the Morcha remained adamant on the strike. 

The Government Deducted Salary after Strike

The chief minister declared her tough stand against any kind of strike, because it became a culture in West Bengal to call strike and observe bandh sometime in minor excuses. So, when most of the 20,000 odd state government employees in the hills were warned by the government not to join in strikes, they defied the warnings, though unintentionally. As they violated the rule, the Government deducted their salary for the days they were absent from offices. They only received their salaries for only six days for the month of August in 2013. The district administration said that the state government had decided to deduct the salaries of the employees for not attending offices during the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s shut down. The agitation was christened janta ghar bhitar (people inside their homes) and janta ghar bahira (people outside their homes) that was started from July 29, 2013.

The attendance of six days worked out to the total number of relaxation given by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and lately the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee (JAC) – a conglomeration of six political and apolitical organizations that was spearheading the agitation. The indefinite strike was relaxed on August 1 and 2 again for four days from August 15 onwards. However, the employees of the departments like health and other emergency services were the ones who got the maximum salary because they were exempted from the strikes.⁴

 

Tough CM Turned Soft in Hill

The chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Gorkha Janmukti Morch to shun their agitation and instead work towards the development of the Darjeeling hills. That appeal was in sharp contrast to the tough posture she had adopted after the recent phase of agitation began in the Darjeeling hills. In a face book post on 20^th August she wrote, “I respect all my Darjeeling brothers and sisters. I am proud of them. But it is unfortunate that instead of developmental works, that political party (Morcha) has resorted to agitational program stalling the development process.” She further said, “Because of the agitation every six months Darjeeling was suffering. My government is fully committed to deliver services to the people of the hills. Then why these agitational programs every six months? Why this “political pollution”? As a result of it, development is suffering, people are suffering. Darjeeling is suffering.” She added that her intention was to make Darjeeling a dream destination, which will bring growth and prosperity for the people of Darjeeling. 

Hill Pay Cut Rolled Back

There was dissatisfaction among the government employees regarding pay cut. They argued as how could they join offices, when there were shut down in entire area. Considering the mood of the people there and the demands of The Darjeeling Himalayan Karmachari Sangathan, formed by Trinamool, the chief minister reversed her decision to pay back the salary of hill employees, who joined in strikes during the August agitation last year. At a function in Darjeeling, the stern and strict Mamata Benrejee called Dilip Singh, the president of the employees’ union, and asked him whether he would continue to do work from then onwards. She also sought warranty from him that there will be no bandh call again. A smiling Singh, nodded in agreement, after which Mamata Banerjee said that all employees will get their August salaries. It must be mentioned here that, of the 20,000 government employees in the hills, about 8,000 hold jobs in the GTA and the rest are state government employees.

The Chief Minister Plays Diplomacy with the Lepchas

Mamata Banerjee ruled out division of state. She then resorted to diplomacy. On 3^rd September, 2013 she embraced the Lepcha community of the hills and used a podium at the heart of the Darjeeling hills to meet her political objective of keeping Bengal undivided. She urged the people of Darjeeling and said that common people of Darjeeling never wanted to divide the state. She praised them by saying that, the contribution of the Lepchas, who constitute around 1.5 lakh, is no less than anyone else’s. 

Despite the Morcha’s ghar bhitra janta call – which had created a curfew-like situation in the hills, by refusing the inclement weather Lepcha women turned up in their traditional and colorful dumvoom while men teamed up dumpra with thakka (traditional headgear). Mamata Banerjee asked the audience why they not received rice and all other food items, which the government sent. She herself responded that they did not get because the ration shops remained closed. She then reminded people of the distressed condition of Subhas Ghisingh and then she declared that, there will be no division, no separation of Bengal. 

The chief minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the people of Darjeeling to shun violence and restore peace in the hills to help the government continue its developmental activities in the region. Addressing a rally of the Lepcha Development Board at Kurseong Mamata Banerjee added, “Just give me a little pyaar and see what we can do.” Driving home the message that she was opposed to bandhs and violence, Smt. Banerjee said her government was dedicated to do “even more” for Darjeeling provided the hills were “peaceful”. She told nicely that, “When Kanchenjungha weeps, even my heart weeps. Why involve in destructive activities? I don’t want to hear rukawat ke liye khed hai (we are sorry for the disruption),” Mamata said while addressing a large crowd of Lepchas in the St. Alphonsus School ground in Darjeeling. 

Referring to the burning down of the forest guesthouse in Takda by suspected Morcha activists, Mamata Banerjee said that, the Takdah cottage had been ruined which will be rebuilt by the government and development work at Lamahata will also be held. But the government is short of money, people should remember that. However, she expressed her eagerness to bring development to the hills, dil se (from heart). Reminding the people of the great tourism potential of the area and utilizing the opportunity to revive the economy of the hills, Mamata Banerjee called for transforming Darjeeling into a great tourist hub on the lines of Switzerland. She wanted that International tourists should visit the hills and feel that it was like Switzerland. There are so many good schools and the political leaders should not destroy the potentiality of the hill region, rather they should feel proud of all this. 

Conclusion

After solving Jungal Mahal and hill problems, the chief minister concentrated on general development of the state. Prior to the Assembly elections in West Bengal there was a situation of lawlessness and anarchy. Murder, threatening, kidnapping, bandhs, frequent load-shedding and other disturbances had disrupted normal life of the people. Common people sought for respite from all these troubles and inconveniences. The major problems were in Jungal Mahal and Darjeeling Hill areas. Hence, after solving law and order problems in these two areas, the chief minister turned her attention to other areas of development. West Bengal has all along been suffering from low industrialization. Hence, she emphasized on industrialization first.