Education imperative for statehood: Mahendra P Lama

Prashant Acharya, EOIC, Siliguri, 21 Sep 2013: Noted academician Mahendra P Lama today held an interactive session at the Mangal Maity Bhawan in Darjeeling More where he stressed on the need for education. 

“If students in the hills are forced to lead the agitation for a separate state, who will become IAS and IPS officers?” he wondered. “Future generations of Gorkhas need to be highly educated to achieve this goal, and this is very important.” 

Lama was directing his words towards GJM chief Bimal Gurung who has called on students to lead the statehood agitation. He said a Gorkhaland would not be achieved even in 40 years’ time if students are involved in politics and agitations, adding they should first be highly educated so as to be able to make crucial decisions for the entire community. 

The academician pointed out the fact that there are only a handful of IAS and IPS officers from the Gorkha community and their numbers should increase. He also slammed Darjeeling MP Jashwant Singh for keeping mum when Trinamool MPs caused a furore against the statehood demand in Parliament last month and that the legislator should have undertaken a hunger strike during the shutdown in Darjeeling. 

According to Lama, the Gorkhaland movement now stands at a juncture where the leaders are still blindly searching for the right path. 

“We should have learned from the agitation of 1986 and accordingly made plans to achieve our goal,” he said. “We lack a proper strategy to fight for a separate state. We should also involve people from the Bengali, Bihari, Adivasi and other communities and at the same time understand their sentiments as also impress upon them as to why they should support the statehood demand. 

We cannot fight just for the identity of the Gorkhas as statehood cannot be achieved on that basis alone.” Several people from the hills and the Terai-Dooars region had gathered to hear Lama speak today and they unanimously agreed to support his candidature for the Lok Sabha seat from Darjeeling in next year’s general election.