Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose demands respect for Gorkhas ...extends his support to Gorkhaland

IANS, KOLKATA: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose has demanded respect for the Gorkha community amid the ongoing agitation by the GJM in the north Bengal hills pressing for a separate state of Gorkhaland. 

"You have to win over the Gorkhas by giving them respect & identity-& not by the stick. #Gorkhas are warriors who fought for India's freedom," the BJP leader tweeted on Wednesday. 

"Give #Gorkhas respect! Capt.Ram Singh Thakure a Gorkha of the INA composed #KadamKadamBadayeja. #Netaji gave them respect. @BimalGjm," he said 

The West Bengal hills have been on the boil for nearly a week after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) launched an agitation against what it called the state government's "attempt" to impose Bengali on the Nepali-speaking people of the region. 

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has, however, made it clear there are no such plans for the hills. 

thenortheasttoday: In what may come as a shot in the arm to the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) at a time when the party is being cornered by the Mamata Banerjee-govt, Chandra Kumar Bose, the grand nephew of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, has come out in open support of Gorkhaland, expressing his views on the issue perhaps for the first time.

In a series of tweets, Chandra Bose articulated and defended the demand for #Gorkhaland as “an issue of respect and identity of the Gorkhas” which the state govt had “betrayed”.

Recalling the contribution of the Gorkhas to the freedom struggle of the country and their unwavering support to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Chandra Bose asserted that “Gorkhas must get their respect & identity – they participated in the freedom struggle with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose…. People of the hills gave full support to Netaji as they got respect. It’s time we give that honour once again. Jai Hind!

It is important to note that Chandra Kumar Bose, who joined BJP last year and was seen as its Chief Ministerial candidate in the run upto the last assembly election of the state, is the Vice-President of the West Bengal BJP unit and his open support to Gorkhaland could pacify the dissenting voices in the Bengal unit of the organisation as well as lend voice and support to the Gorkhaland lobby within the BJP.