BJP Manifesto Evokes Mixed Response In The Hills... BJP has diluted Gorkhaland demand- Swaraj Thapa

Wepen.in, April 8, 2019: The issues pertaining to the Gorkhas finding mention in the BJP national manifesto has evoked mixed reactions from different political camps of the Darjeeling Hills. While allies have welcomed it, others feel that the BJP has craftily diluted the Gorkhaland demand.

The manifesto stated “20. We will recognize the 11 left out Indian Gorkha sub-tribes as Scheduled Tribes. We are also committed to implement the reservation in the legislative assembly of Sikkim for Limboo and Tamang.

We are committed to work towards finding a permanent political solution to the issue of Darjeeling Hills, Siliguri Terai and Dooars region.”

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) alleged that yet again the BJP is hoodwinking the Gorkhas with a “Jumla Manifesto.”

“The BJP  manifesto in 2014 had the phrase “Long pending demands of the Gorkhas” which was synonymous to Gorkhaland. This time that too has been removed by the BJP this time. They have made it clear that they are not in favour of Gorkhaland” stated Keshav Raj Pokhrel, Central Committee member, GJM.

There is no mention of Gorkhaland or 6th schedule nor the long pending demand of the Gorkhas

“Who is greater the sitting Prime Minister or an election manifesto?  In 2016, the sitting PM Narendra Modi had committed he would work towards inclusion of the 11 Gorkha communities in the schedule tribe list. However he did not do anything” stated Pokhrel.

Regarding the “permanent political solution” Pokhrel stated “We are saying this, even the TMC is saying this, the CPIM is saying this and even the Congress is saying this. Then where lies anything different with the BJP manifesto? Not even an indication of Gorkhaland. Regarding the inclusion of 11 sub communities in the ST list, the West Bengal Government has already passed it in the cabinet and sent it to Delhi.

Pokhrel stated that the 2014 BJP manifesto had mentioned “Regional Aspiration” and also had stressed on BJP’s stand of smaller states. This time all this is missing.

“Gorkhas have to be cautious. For 10 years the BJP has fooled us. It is time for payback. Vote them out of power” retorted Pokhrel.

The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF,)  an ally of the BJP has welcomed the manifesto. “This time all are talking of permanent political solution. We have been wanting this since long. There are many options with a constitutional guarantee including Gorkhaland, Union Territory and 6th Schedule. However we have made it clear nothing less than 6th Schedule will be acceptable to us. This time there is no jugglery with the words like “sympathetically consider” not is it an addendum in the manifesto. It is straight statements in the national manifesto” declared Ajoy Edward, Sterring Committee member, GNLF.

Swaraj Thapa who had recently resigned from the GJM (Bimal faction) stated “The BJP’s stand on the most important and critical issue of Gorkhaland is unclear and appears to have got diluted from the position taken in the last two manifestos.

The last two manifestos in 2009 and 2014 had categorically stated that the BJP will “sympathetically examine and appropriately consider the long pending demands of the Gorkhas, the Adivasis and other people of Darjeeling district and the Dooars region.”

At that time, it was insisted that the word “Gorkhaland” be included in the manifesto, which was however replaced with “long pending demand” by the BJP.

The new articulation in the BJP manifesto that it will work towards finding a permanent political solution is a dilution from the earlier stand. This stand is nothing new as it is also the stand of the CPIM, of the Congress and of the TMC” stated Thapa.

He however hailed the “unambiguous commitment” that the BJP will recognize 11 India Gorkha sub tribes as ST.

“This was long overdue as the West Bengal State cabinet had approved granting ST status to the 11 sub tribes in 2014 and sent it to the Centre” added Thapa.

“The inclusion of 11 left-out Gorkha Tribes as Scheduled Tribes of India, will cement the place of Gorkhas as being indigenous to our nation forever. No one will thereafter question our roots and connect to our nation” stated Roshan Giri, General Secretary, GJM (Bimal faction.)

He stated that the BJP’s acknowledgement and commitment to finding a permanent political solution to the decades long demand is very significant especially from the national security point of view.

“It is just a  rephrasing of the earlier ambiguous statements. Nothing has been spelled out regarding Gorkhaland. Permanent political solution could just about mean anything under the sun. It does not even talk of a constitutional guaranteed solution. They are hoodwinking us once again” stated De. Harka Bahadur Chettri, President, Jan Andolan Party. He is also in the fray from the Darjeeling constituency.