Anarchy has been let loose in the Darjeeling hills. The political leaders want people to suspend normal life indefinitely to crusade for a separate state of Gorkhaland. Children cannot go to school. Offices remain shut and transport is at a standstill. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is not concerned about the suffering of the people it is supposed to be fighting for. Today’s pain is tomorrow’s gain, this is its motto. The deployment of additional police forces has created a state of panic. Maybe, the majority of the people in the hills support Gorkhaland. But are they happy about lawlessness and breakdown of basic civic services? Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has understandably said that she will not allow bifurcation of the state. But she has the obligation to restore rule of law. Her moves so far have been reassuring. The Left Front earlier wanted a political settlement which left common people at the mercy of agitators.
No doubt, the final solution has to be arrived at politically. One cannot turn a blind-eye on the local people’s aspirations for self-government. The Centre, the West Bengal government and the GJM have had rounds of talks. Previously the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council set up in 1988 turned inactive owing to Chairman Subhash Ghising’s peccadilloes. The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration set up in 2011 caused misunderstanding with the recognition of the name ‘Gorkhaland’ which proved the thin edge of the wedge. It certainly has not had the time to prove itself. The Centre’s endorsement of Telengana has opened a can of worms . The renewed stir for Gorkhaland has engulfed the hills, regardless of whether the proposed state will be viable or not either politically or economically. The economy of the hills has already been hurt.
