CPIM Proposes Complete Autonomy And People’s Unity As Panacea For Hill Impasse

Wepen, 14 April 2019: April 14, 2019: Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the CPIM prescribed “complete autonomy” for the Darjeeling Hills as a final solution to the Gorkha identity and political impasse.  “We propose autonomy of authority and unity of people” stated Yechury addressing a campaign rally in Darjeeling on Saturday.

“In Parliament the interest has to be kept alive. The voice of the people needs to resonate. For the past 10 years there was absolute silence on the Hills. Now they have fielded an industrial corporate” stated Yechury with reference to the BJP. Darjeeling goes to polls on April 18.

The CPIM General Secretary stated that his party is ready for talks to work out a permanent solution to the impasse. “It can be through 6th Schedule. A linguistic minority status to the Gorkhas would further add muscle to the autonomy through the 6th Schedule. However if others have any suggestion on other forms of autonomy, we can sit and discuss” added Yechury.

He stated that both the BJP and TMC were playing the “divide and rule card.” “While the BJP is dividing the whole country, the TMC is dividing the state. If we do not wake up and stand up strongly the whole country will disintegrate,” stated Yechury.

Autonomous institutions like the Parliament, Judiciary and even the Election Commission are under threat from the BJP, alleged Yechury. “The independence of these institutions have been maintained through checks and balances. The BJP Government has craftily removed or destroyed these checks and balances. It is totalitarian authority- a fascist force that is taking over” declared Yechury.

The CPIM General Secretary stated that 5 years ago as the head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture (the largest standing committee with 5 ministries) a recommendation was made to incorporate Darjeeling Hills in the North East so that Darjeeling could be economically empowered through funds from the Ministry of Development of North Eastern region (DoNER.) 10 % of the development funds are allocated to DoNER in India.

“On one side are the 7 North East States and the other is Sikkim. In between is Darjeeling Hills which is not part of North East. The Standing Committee had recommended the incorporation of Darjeeling Hills in North East. Despite having a BJP MP from Darjeeling, the BJP Government sat over the recommendation and did not even submit the Action Taken Report which is mandatory once a recommendation is made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee” stated Yechury.

The veteran Left Politician recommended Land Reforms for the upliftment of the people and place. “The Darjeeling district has the highest per capita income in West Bengal. It is also this region with  there is heavy poverty. This paradox exists owing to the property and wealth accumulated by a few people. Land Reforms will help break this system and distribute the wealth and property amongst the masses. Land documents to tea garden, cinchona plantation workers and forest village should be the most important component of this land reforms” added Yechury.

The CPIM General Secretary questioned as to why the TMC Government had failed to implement these reforms since the past 8 years of governance in West Bengal.

“Even the Modi Government did not do anything in the past 5 years in the Centre except divide and disintegrate the country on religion; promote clashes and cow vigilantes; destroy institutions. Now they want to drive a nail in the coffin with the NRC and Citizenship Amendment Bill” retorted Yechury.

He stated that his party has always been true to the people of the Hills. “Even during the political unrest and the 105 day bandh in 2017, we had taken a delegation of different hill political parties to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. We had proposed a tripartite mechanism to defuse the situation. Unfortunately the Union Government failed to act and preferred remaining a silent spectator,” added Yechury.