Centre-WB friction fuelling Gorkhaland stir

The West Bengal government’s decision to impose Bengali language in all the schools from Class I-IX, has sparked violent protests in the Gorkha-led Darjeeling. The army has had to be called in to defuse the situation in the region after the agitation took on the form of a stir for the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state which has been an issue that has been simmering for decades. Gorkhaland consists of Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and other hilly districts. The people belonging to these areas hardly have any connection with the Bengali community and are different in ethnicity, culture and language. Gorkhaland supporters pelted stones at police forces in Darjeeling on Tuesday as they were stopped from enforcing their shutdown in government offices in the hills.

Doubtlessly, the strained relations between the Centre and the West Bengal government are not helping matters. While some leaders in the Centre are favourably disposed towards the demand for a separate state, the West Bengal government, especially chief minister Mamata Banerjee, is vehemently opposed to it. Banerjee is camping in Darjeeling after she held a Cabinet meeting there that marked the beginning of the current phase of the Gorkhaland stir. Tourists have been leaving Darjeeling in droves expecting the agitation to escalate. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has advised tourists to leave the hills lest they get affected by the snowballing agitation for a separate Gorkhaland. GJM chief Bimal Gurung has promised this to be the final push for a separate state. Mamata Banerjee, apart from promising tough action, is clueless about what needs to be done to stave off escalation. It truly is a ticklish situation.