Gorkhaland Movement

Gorkhaland is mainly composed of Nepali-speaking people from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, and other highland areas in West Bengal. These people are ethically, culturally, and linguistically separate from the Bengali people of West Bengal. Darjeeling’s aspiration for its administrative area dates back to 1907. In the 1980s, however, Subhash Ghising, the originator of the Gorkha National Liberation Front, coined the term “Gorkhaland” (GNLF). The Gorkhaland Movement, based primarily in West Bengal’s Darjeeling Hills, calls for the creation of a breakaway state of Gorkhaland. The region includes West Bengal’s Duars and Terai regions. The land is well-known for its tea and beauty, which are the company’s main sources of income.

Why is it that Gorkhaland Demands to be its State?

• The main cause of the separatist movement in Gorkhaland is due to ethnic, cultural, and linguistic disparities
• In the northern region of West Bengal, folks of Nepali-Indian Gorkha ethnic background desire a state based on their cultural identity, which is quite dissimilar from Bengali culture
• There is also a problem of poverty, underdevelopment, and politicisation of the subject, in addition to a sense of self-identity crisis
• “Poverty, Malgovernance, and Ethnopolitical Mobilisation: Gorkha Nationalism and the Gorkhaland Agitation in India,” according to Rajat Ganguli (author of “Poverty, Malgovernance, and Ethnopolitical Mobilisation: Gorkha Nationalism and the Gorkhaland Agitation in India”). The Gorkhaland problem arose as a result of a mix of governance failure and politicisation. He points to a historical pattern, particularly post-independence, in which the issue only explodes when it is fueled by political ambitions.

How Did Darjeeling Come to Existence?

• Before the 1780s, the territory was ruled by Sikkim’s Chogyal
• In 1780, the Gorkhas captured Sikkim and much of North East India, including Darjeeling
• The Anglo-Gorkha war began in 1814 and ended in 1815 with the Treaty of Segoulee (ratified in March 1816)
• According to the pact, the British East India Company took over all of the lands that Gorkha had seized from Sikkim’s Chogyal
• The Treaty of Titalia, signed in 1817, restored Chogyal rule in Sikkim and returned all of the area acquired by Gorkhas to Chogyals
• They did, however, take possession of the Darjeeling hills from Sikkim in 1835 by a Deed of Grant
• In the Treaty of Sinchula in 1864, the British and Bhutan negotiated and added the Bengal Duars and Kalimpong to the Darling Hills
• The current Darjeeling district was created in 1866

Major Post-Independence Gorkhaland Movements

• As the first political party in the Darjeeling hills, the All India Gorkha League (AIGL) was founded in 1943. Following India’s independence, the ‘Assam Chalo’ movement asked that Darjeeling be added to Assam. It worked on petitions and submitted memorandums to the President and Prime Minister of India. In a few instances, it was never violent
• The largest and most violent agitation, led by Subhash Ghising, was held in 1986 under the umbrella of the GNLF. Darjeeling experienced the most violent period in India’s post-independence history between 1986 and 1988. More than 1200 individuals died, according to one estimate. It came to a close with the DGHC agreement (discussed above)
• The fourth DGHC election did not take place in 2004. Instead, Darjeeling became part of the sixth schedule in 2005, and a tribal council was formed, with Ghising as its chief. It prompts Bimal Gurung, who founded GJM in 2007, to revolt. As a result, the second largest agitation in the Gorkhaland movement occurred. It was a politically motivated rather than an identity-driven event, as evidenced by the turn of events
• The Gorkhaland agitation took a new turn in 2010-2011 after local leaders feuded after one of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League’s (ABGL) leaders were reportedly stabbed to death by GJM followers
• Due to the split of Andhra Pradesh in 2013, the urge for separation increased once more. Under GJM’s direction, the movement was peaceful. The GJM used a novel form of protest known as the “Janta Bandh.” On the 13th and 14th of August, people were asked to stay indoors voluntarily. Although no force was utilised, the streets were deafeningly silent, indicating a mutiny. It was portrayed as a public relations disaster for the government.

The Gorkhaland Movement’s Importance

• It is one of India’s oldest movements that have yet to be handled in its entirety
• From a geopolitical aspect, it has an impact on India-Nepal ties. The treatment of Nepal’s hill people will determine the fate of people of Indian heritage in the country (Madesis in the Terai belt)
• Nepal also serves as a rallying point for a positive geostrategic and foreign geopolitical policy in the region, as it is critical for India’s ability to achieve regional balance in the face of China’s growing presence in the country
• Gorkhaland is positioned in a strategic position. It is the link between the rest of India and the North East that the chicken neck provides. As a result, the stability of India is crucial
• As a result of tea and tourism, Darjeeling has had a positive impact on the region. For this economic model to function, the region must be sociopolitically stable

Conclusion

As history has demonstrated, development is not a solution for identity movements. For example, in Tibet, large-scale Chinese development could not suffocate the people’s longing for self-respect and self-esteem. Likewise, the Indian Independence movement was motivated by a yearning for a distinct and united Indian identity rather than a lack of progress. As a result, more empathy and sensitivity might open more doors to a sensible and peaceful settlement instead of special political interests.