Gorkhaland Supporters Want Their Hill Terrain To Be A Union Territory

- Rajat Roy

The Centre’s abolition of Article 370 of the Constitution and bifur­cation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories have not only plunged India’s norther­nmost region intouncertainty, its rev­erberations are felt elsewhere too. The tremors are being felt a thousand miles away in the Darjeeling hills of West Ben gal, where a new demand for turn­ ing the area into a Union territory is raised by Gorkhaland agitators, inclu­ding pro­-Mamata groups among them.

Raju Bist, BJP MP for Darjeeling, has tweeted about a letter written to him by Union home minister Amit Shah, wherein Shah has mentioned the word ‘Gorkh­aland’, thus reigniting the issue. Bist wrote to Shah in July, voicing concern over the security of Gorkhas in Delhi, as they were left out of the purview of the Delhi Police’s special cell to counter rac­ ism, especially against people from the North east. According to Bist, Shah repl­ied that concerns over the people of Ladakh and ‘Gorkhaland’ were being loo­ked into. This drew immediate protests from the ruling Trinamool. Goutam Deb, a former minister and senior leader based in north Bengal, questions the use of ‘Gorkhaland’ by Shah. “Why did he use it? There is no place called Gorkhaland in the entire area. It seems after dividing J&K, the BJP is planning to bifurcate Bengal.”