The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has launched an agitation in the Darjeeling hills. Two government offices have been set on fire. The stir is over the West Bengal government’s declaration to make Bengali compulsory in all schools. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is facing a state of violence in the hills hurting tourist trade. It goes without saying that GJM violence is unjustified. Agitations should be peaceful. Whether or not Bengali should be made compulsory is debatable. Nepalis do not form a majority among the population in the hills. Mamata Banerjee has now reversed her position saying that Darjeeling schools will be exempt from compulsory Bengali policy. The NDA government has been under fire for trying to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states. If the centre is to be criticised, so should the Kerala government for making Malayalam mandatory in all schools. The West Bengal government should make Bengali and Nepali optional in the schools in the Darjeeling hills area.
In a globalised world , language is linked with economic opportunities. Parochialism should be eschewed. No state government should promote a particular language at the cost of another. That will impair the national image of linguistic diversity. So far, so good. But in Darjeeling, language is the thin end of the weave. The demand for Gorkhaland has surfaced again and Central intervention has been asked for. Autonomy is fine, but not bifurcation of west Bengal.