Hill tug-of-war over language day events : These rival plans on the same day in the same town lent an air of politicking over Bhasha Diwas, said residents

These rival plans on the same day in the same town lent an air of politicking over Bhasha Diwas, said residents 

Lal Kothi, the GTA headquarters.: File picture

Vivek Chhetri   |   TT  |  Darjeeling   |  30.07.22  : Two administrative bodies in Darjeeling, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and the Darjeeling municipality, governed by political rivals Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) and Hamro Party, have both decided to celebrate Bhasha Diwas separately, hinting at attempts to politicise the day. Bhasha Diwas is celebrated on August 20.

On this day in 1992, the Nepali/Gorkha language was included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, after a struggle spanning four decades.

The Nepali Academy, under the GTA, on Friday announced their celebration plans.

The BGPM helms the GTA. Anos Thapa, the executive GTA Sabha member in-charge of information and cultural affairs department, said: “By virtue of being an executive member of I&CA department, I am also the chairman of the Nepali Academy. We have decided to celebrate Bhasha Diwas and we welcome all to join our celebrations.”

The BGPM’s rival Hamro Party, which formed the Darjeeling municipality board had during its civic election campaign, promised to celebrate Bhasha Diwas like “never before”. Ajoy Edwards, the president of the Hamro Party, had reiterated his commitment once again earlier this week. Gokul Sinha, a member of the centre for Nepali language research and development, a part of the Nepali Academy, said that they would felicitate people who had actively contributed to the struggle for the inclusion of Nepali/Gorkha.

“We will invite luminaries who contributed to the struggle like C.K. Shrestha, Enos Das Pradhan, R.B. Rai and others on that day,” said Sinha. Former Sikkim MP Dil Kumari Bhandari played a pivotal role in getting the language bill passed in Parliament.

“The guest on the top of our list was Dil Kumari Bhandari. Unfortunately, she will attend a function at her home state on that day and hence has not been able to accept our invitation,” said Sinha.

Hamro Party leader Edwards had earlier stated that they would invite community leaders from across the country during their celebrations. “The recognition of our language has been one of the biggest achievements for our community but till date we have failed to celebrate the occasion in a befitting manner.

This year we will celebrate the event like never before by bringing everyone to a common platform,” said Edwards.

Many believe that with the Hamro Party having announced its celebration plans, the BGPM couldn’t afford to concede space to its rival. These rival plans on the same day in the same town lent an air of politicking over Bhasha Diwas, said residents. “Guests will also be put in a spot on which invitation to accept,” admitted a literary personality from Darjeeling.

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph