Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB), 2019 and Darjeeling region

Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB),  2019 and Darjeeling Region

With an area of just 3149 sq km and population of over 21 lakh, 3/4th of Darjeeling (including both Darj & KPG districts) region is featured by hills & mountains. It perhaps has one of the highest human-land ratio at the moment. Human pressure on the region is huge.

The region has already witnessed massive refugee resettlement in the past when the country got its independence and later after Bangladesh was formed. Bringing the region under purview of CAB may further put pressure in this already pressurised region.

The region should, therefore, be treated at par with the states of NorthEast India. If NE is kept outside the purview of CAB, Darjeeling region should also be part of the framework.

Thinking of Gorkhaland + : Long Term Political Solution to the aspirations of Darjeeling-Duar Region

Look at how incomplete North East India looks without inclusion of Darjeeling-Duars in the region.

The empty geographical space between Sikkim and rest of the NE India is the region that requires permanent political solution.

It represents three major political aspirations: Gorkhaland, Kamtapur and Greater Coochbehar.

Even if fulfilling all three aspirations is not possible at the moment, we can think of clubbing all three into one collective aspiration and work out a common political solution to all by creating a single separate state consisting of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Coochbehar Paliamentary Constituences.

And later in time if it is, somehow, joined by Sikkim and Bodoland, it would be strategically the most formidable state in the country with four international borders and  and also act as a gateway to the entire SouthEast Asia. The critical and strategic chicken neck would be under its control. With five+ MPs under its fold and super strategic location, the bargaining power of this state across power corridors in Delhi would be immense and unimaginable.

Brief historical trajectory of Darjeeling-Duars region and the need for a permanent political solution

Brief historical trajectory of Darjeeling-Duars region and the need for a permanent political solution

WB Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board's recent Brochure: Few Observations

Many might have got hold and glanced through the brochure of WB Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board published (recently!) bilingually- in English and Bengali (?).

It is laudable that the brochure notes and re-emphasizes the history, culture and tradition of the Lepchas and the need and significance to preserve them.

However, it is critical for all the Indian Gorkhas, particularly Gorkhas of Darjeeling Hills, to note the first line of the second paragraph that directly blames the Gorkhas for Lepchas’ current state of affairs. To quote the brochure ‘Their (Lepchas’) way of life has been compromised by the rising tide of Nepali immigration so that they are now a minority in their own land.’

This is a very serious and communal allegation by the Lepcha Board that will have far reaching implications on the societal fabric of Darjeeling-Sikkim hills in the days to come! I demand, the board to withdraw the statement with immediate effect and tender unconditional apology to the Indian Gorkhas for releasing such communal line of thinking.

As a member of Gorkha Community, I have few concerns and observations to be made. The Lepcha board or the representatives may react to them if they deem relevant.

1. The demography of Darjeeling district comprises of several social groups and Gorkhas/Nepali speakers comprise not more than 40 % of the entire population. Please explain how have the Gorkhas of Darjeeling hills forced you to compromise your way of life. What about the Bhutias, Bengalis, Biharis, Marwaris, Muslims and other groups that reside in the region? Have they not impacted your ways of life?

2. Please look into the history of how Lepchas converted themselves into Christian for social and economic benefits of the group and the long-term consequences on the socio-culture and traditional ways of life of the Lepchas. And now you blame us for your compromised ways of life?

3. Both the Governments of India and West Bengal have granted innumerable privileges (including the ST status) to the Lepchas for the last several decades while the Gorkhas are one of the poor, oppressed and suppressed social groups within the Indian federation. However, the role of Indian Gorkhas in the national building process, including the national security, has been historic and far-reaching.

4. Gorkhas are sincere and hardworking souls. The achievements Indian Gorkhas have realized so far in various sectors/faculties are purely based on the merit and their hard work and not because of any special privileges and reservations.

5. One of my friends reacts to the note this way and I agree to it “ We aren’t feudal lords who made them servants. There was no sanction or statute passed like in Nepal that certain tribes would be relegated to certain work and profiles that would curb their development. They willingly became Christians, if they have to blame anybody; it’s the Christians converters who were their nemesis. Why are they blaming us in print? They gobble up Christian funds and now they’re gobbling up development funds. All they want is a victim card”

6. Lepchas are the first settlers of Sikkim-Darjeeling region. They are the autochthonous. There is no debate on that. But that does not mean that they are the only original and rest of the social groups, including Gorkhas, are duplicate. We are deep into the 21st century and such nonsense is irrelevant and shall not be tolerated. Please come out of such communal hangover and contribute to the growth and development of the country.

7. We should remember and acknowledge that the present day sedentary agriculture practice in the entire Sikkim-Darjeeling and southern Bhutan was brought about and consolidated by the Nepali speakers. The entire Darjeeling tea and quinine industries were founded and built on the sweat of the Gorkhas. The sweat of the Gorkhas that were drawn while building the Hill Cart Road and NH10 still smells when you travel through these roads.

8. Therefore, every nook and corner; devi and deorali; lekh and aoul; dara and kara; khola and nala; pakha and pandera, dews and dusts acknowledge and embrace the Gorkhas as the primary stake holders of the Darjeeling region at the present point of time. This message has to be loud and clear to all.

9. Such an irresponsible statement of the Lepcha Board will do more bad than good and eventually harm the social fabric of the region. After so much of contribution to the region as well as nation building process, it deeply hurts when a brochure of a particular group blames the Gorkhas in such a way!

Darjeeling Constituency, Loksabha Election (2019)

Over 15 potential candidates have filed their nominations. If you closely examine the situation at hand it broadly looks as follows:

Clearly, there is no chance for the independent candidates and candidates of INC,CPIM etc to win in this election.

Therefore, there are, basically, two scenarios with us: Leaving aside other contenders, the fight shall only be between TMC (supported by GJMM2) and BJP (supported by GJMM1 and GNLF).

Scenario #1:

If we vote for TMC and make them victorious, there is a very high chance that#Mamata would gradually grab the entire region under her fold. She is already on her way. Her Cultural and Development board approach is one of her ways forward. Under such a situation, in a decade or two, the idea of #Gorkha and#Gorkhaland may no longer be relevant. We shall be only referred to as#Nepalis and many a times immigrant Nepalis. We will, most probably, cease to be the Gorkhas. No one will have the guts to chant ‘jai gorkha’. Hamilai talla ta kutirakkai cha, tespachi mathi nai aayera kutcha B haru le. We all shall collectively and happily shout ‘Jai Bangla’. Katti majja aaucha hai!

Scenario #2:

If we vote for BJP and render them victorious, nothing may happen. 10-barsa jasari bityo tesari nai bitcha hola next 5 yrs pani. BJP will be busy spreading its political and strategic tentacles across geographical spaces of the country with its dangerous Hinduvta card. It will keep on struggling to take control of Bengal but without any notable results. Gorkhaland sorkhaland dindai na BJP le. They have their state government in Assam….Bodoland diyo? This MP will be a mere puppet within the larger framework of BJP.

However, Gorkhas will have the freedom to shout ‘Jai Gorkha’ and ‘We want Gorkhaland’. And yes we will, at least, have the hope to have our own separate state called ‘Gorkhaland’ or to be known by any other name someday. Sapana nai bhaye pani haami dekhneh chaun ra dekhi rahaneh chaun.

The choice is ours, to opt for scenario #1 or #2. No one shall force us.

So what is your choice?: #1 or #2 ?

Emerging Demographic Shift in the Bengal Duars and National Security Concerns for India

VIMAL KHAWAS


Reportedly, there was a clash between two groups in the outskirt of Oodlabari (Mal Subdivision) in Jalpaiguri District, recently, over an issue of land. Oodlabari is a small town on the National Highway 31 that passes through Bengal Dooars about 40 kms east of Siliguri. According to eyewitnesses, the brawl started when a group of men, reportedly, demanded GT (Gunda Tax) from the purchaser of a piece of land. When purchaser confronted the group and denied paying demanded GT, he was beaten black and blue. He had to be hospitalized. The group didn’t stop there and created ruckus in Oodlabari Bazar later. Eventually, locals joined hand to thrash the rogues, before police arrived to rescue the group and normalize the situation. The area has been under strict police vigilance since then to take care of any potential untoward events that may turn quickly communal.


Discussion with the locals of this writer on the issue shed light to the fact that there has been gradual upsurge of settlers from outside the region, and now they dominate the periphery of Oodlabari town, particularly the riverine belt of Gish ‘Khola’. The area used to be open and vacant earlier. Locals do not know where do these new immigrants come from and who encourages them to inhabit the bank of the river. Their numbers are, however, steadily increasing over time. They occupy such vulnerable riverine belts that are normally abandoned by the locals. One of the advantages of occupying such risk-prone land is that the moment river water/floods damage their huts, state government immediately comes forward to help them, provide with shelter and food. In the neighbouring Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) too it is disturbing to witness sprouting informal huts along the NH10 between Rangpo and Kalijhora. The stretch between Melli and Teesta Bazar is particularly worrisome where around 70 new hutments have come up in the area, recently. Reportedly, new settlements have also been noticed around Tista bazar and across pockets of Kalimpong town. 

Duars the Gateway to Bhutan, Northeast India and Beyond

Duar, which also means 'door', ‘passage’ in Assamese, Bengali, Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magahi and Telugu languages, has historically formed gateway to Bhutan, Northeast India and South East Asia.  Duars are also commonly referred to as Dwars or Dooars.  Situated at an altitude ranging from 90m to 300m, they represent floodplains and foothills of the Eastern Himalaya around Bhutan.
 
Bengal Duars, politically, borders the foothills of Darjeeling district east of Tista River, entire Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts and upper region of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal.  The region is noted for varied forms of bio-resources and ethnic diversity. It is also known for tea gardens that were planted by the British.  The region, generally, is composed of numerous tribal groups, including Bodos, Rabha, Mech, Toto, Tamang/murmi, Koch, Limbus, Lepcha, Rajbongshis and Adivasis who were brought in to man the tea plantations by the British. Considerable numbers of Bengalis (mostly displaced/relocated from erstwhile East Pakistan) also live in the region.
 
The region has been historically important both in terms of socio-culture connections and geo-political strategies. This region is a melting pot of ethnic diversity. It is dynamic in nature and evolving with time. 

Gradual Demographic Shift in Bengal Duars

After partition in 1947, Bengali refugees came in large numbers and settled in North Bengal. Although, Indo-Bangladesh border is a closed border and free movement of citizens are not allowed, there has been a massive and steady influx of Bangladeshi immigrants into the region after the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. However, the real problem has been that no body knows the precise number of informal migrants.

 According to A K M Anwaruzzaman, ‘11,700,000 refugees arrived in India from East Pakistan propelled by partition of India in 1947 and Jalpaiguri witnessed 48.27% growth rate during 1951-61. Further, triggered by war of independence of Bangladesh in 1971, 10 million Bangladeshis, mainly hindus took shelter in West Bengal. Large number of Bangladeshi refugees settled in Jalpaiguri district as a result’. As early as in 1980s, TV Rajeswar, former IB director and former governor of the state, had written and cautioned against heavy infiltration into West Bengal from Bangladesh. In 2012, then Darjeeling District Congress secretary, Dilip Pradhan pointed that ‘all the people from Terai-Dooars who are against the formation of Gorkhaland are Bangladeshis. He alleged that North Bengal alone accommodates 30 lakh Bangladeshi nationals who often try to create disturbance by planning various schemes. The state government is sheltering Bangladeshi immigrants and making them its vote bank, which is a problem for the nation as a whole’.

 According to Government of India, there were around two crore Bangladeshi immigrants staying illegally in India in 2016. The figure was almost 67 % higher over 1.2 crore estimate given by UPA government in 2004. UPA government had estimated 57 lakh Bangladeshi squatters in West Bengal, the highest among the states at that point followed by Assam with 50 lakh.

 It may be noted that Bangladeshi nationals do not cross the border into India in sudden spurts in recent times, as they did earlier in the wake of partition. They are now coming in a slow, steady trickle, in groups of 10-20 across porous Indo-Bangladesh border. Statistical data shows that by 1987 there were 49.50 lakhs Bangladeshis in west Bengal covering all the districts of the state. Reportedly, close to 50 Bangladeshis cross over to West Bengal every day. A closer examination of the demographic data hints that poor economic conditions at the source and search for better economic pastures in the host region have traditionally been the forces behind this informal immigration. However, it is also clear that successive West Bengal Governments have also encouraged and sanctioned the informal immigration of the Bangladeshi nationals into the region as guaranteed ‘vote bank’.

 In the past four decades, the decadal population growth in the region has remained at nearly 40 percent. Given the relatively small size of the original population, this kind of population explosion is simply not possible naturally. Unchecked cross-border immigration from Bangladesh is, therefore, contributing to this large population growth in the region. Such a situation is gradually destroying the dynamic socio-cultural, economic and political fabric of the region.

 It then, comes as a no surprise that the percentage share of hill populace in Darjeeling district has also continuously gone down over the years. The share was around 72% in 1951; it went down to 65% by 1961, 54% by 1981, and 49% by 2011. If this trend continues, then the hills populace will fast become minority in their own region.

 Ironically, Mamata Banerjee, recently, even threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dare touch a Bangladeshi let alone repatriating her/him to Bangladesh.

 
Source: Based on Census of India (Various years) 

Chicken-Neck, Informal Migration and National Security Apprehensions for India

The eastern border considered safe since the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, has become a thick long red line for India. Due to porous borderline between India and Bangladesh large-scale informal immigration from Bangladesh continues unabated. It has been estimated that about 2 lakh Bangladeshis cross the border annually and settle in West Bengal.

 The entire Darjeeling-Duar region is very strategically located. It shares borders with three countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal and a few kms away with China at Jelep la, making it the only region in India with four international borders. The proverbial ‘chicken-neck’ corridor also often called ‘Siliguri Corridor’ that roughly stretches 200 kilometers in length with breath varying between 25 - 60 kilometers is an integral part of the region. The chicken-neck connects India’s Northeast region with the rest of India, Nepal and Bangladesh lying on either side of the corridor. The kingdom of Bhutan lies on the northern side of the corridor. It is a very sensitive geographical piece of land and is heavily patrolled by the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force and the West Bengal Police.

 Overview of Siliguri Corridor and its geographical milieu
 

Informal immigrants from Bangladesh to cross over to India in the last 50 years have often used this Corridor. In fact, as early as in 2002, there were reports that highlighted how the ‘Siliguri corridor’ was being used as a supply route by Pakistani ISI to provide arms and ammunitions via Bangladesh to insurgents in the North East. It has today become one of the most porous border regions of India through which antinational elements operate freely. According to Amitava Mukherjee, noted journalist and commentator,  ‘attempt to give citizenship to Bangladeshi illegal immigrants may seriously jeopardize the political, social and economic life of the country as well as its security scenario too. West Bengal or the northeastern Indian states can no longer accommodate the Bangladeshis. So neither Mamata Banerjee nor any other political party should tinker with such an explosive situation’.

 Fugitive, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung has also warned against informal Bangladeshi settlements in Darjeeling foothills and Dooars region in a recent press release. He has alleged that the state government is ‘secretly measuring land to settle illegal Bangladeshis expected to be removed from Assam’. The ongoing Doklam tangle between India, China and Bhutan further reiterates and reestablishes the importance of ‘Chicken Neck Corridor’ in the national security framework and we need to take the situation seriously. Since the 1962 war with China, Indian strategists have envisioned a future scenario where the Chinese may simply bypass and drop Special Forces to choke vulnerable Siliguri Corridor and cut off the Northeast India.  Any disruption to the ‘chicken neck’ may bring the entire Northeast India to the brink of scarcity, as it is primarily dependent on rest of the country for essential food items. As early as in 1998, the region used to import goods – including food grain, pluses, salt, sugar, edible oil, cement and fertilizers among other things - worth nearly INR 2000 crore annually from the rest of India.

Urgent need for serious research, thinking and debate

In the interest of the larger national security concerns of the country, there is, therefore, an urgent need to delve deeper to examine seriousness of the situation, which could quickly turn into a national security nightmare. Given the porous border that India shares with Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, this proverbial “chicken neck” is under a constant threat of being strangled by forces inimical to India.

Resettlement of Bangladeshi refugees and massive informal migration in the strategically located Darjeeling-Dooars region in the last 50-60 years has seriously compromised the security of the nation, as well as the security and wellbeing of the indigenous people of the region.


The entire Gorkhaland Territorial Administration region has been witnessing increasing ethnic upheavals in recent times particularly in the last five years and is, therefore, very sensitive to any new settlements being facilitated to inhabit the area. The Gorkhas’ protest of 2017 in the Darjeeling-Duars region against the highhandedness of the West Bengal government is a clear indication that the region has to be handled with utmost care. There are legitimate fears among certain sections of local intellectuals that unchecked informal immigration is setting grounds for ‘human insecurity’ of the locals in this sensitive border region.

The policy makers therefore need to critically question, examine and research this dangerous and persisting scenario in the region in the light of further marginalization of an already marginalised Gorkha and Adivasi communities and more importantly from the perspective of national security and integrity of the Country.

[Note: Published as opinion piece in Sikkim Express (Gangtok, Sikkim) on 11. 09. 2018. ]

Too many institutions with no clear demarcations of powers and functions in Gorkhaland

Close review and examine of the current structure of governance in#Gorkhaland region of the country highlight the following:

• There are too many power poles than normally permitted by the constitution of the country. They include district administration, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, Cultural and Development Boards, Hill Area Development Committee and a Special Committee.

• The rationale behind introduction of so many institutions is clearly not growth and sustained development of the region but appeasement of selected individuals/groups and eventually thwarting the long pending demand of the Gorkhas for a separate state of their own.

• Creation of so many institutions and resultant power poles to govern a small geographical region with less than 3000 sq km area and 10-lakh populations is shear wastage of human and financial resources of the country.

• Too many institutions without clear demarcations of their powers and functions often leads to more of conflicts than cooperation creating unnecessary confusions rather than development for which they are formed.

• West Bengal has been aggressively pushing for a forced disintegration of the ‘Gorkha Aspiration’ for a separate state with so many confusing and populist development propositions.

• Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Act (2011) was drafted only on paper but was never implemented on the ground thus violating the very agreement signed between the Government of India, West Bengal and the Gorkhas (then represented by GJMM).

• West Bengal has badly failed in its project as far as the Gorkha dominated Darjeeling-Dooars is concerned. Although, successive state governments have been able to influence and purchase few Gorkha representatives sporadically, the Gorkha masses have, for the last 40 years, systematically rejected them. This rejection shall certainly continue until there is a separate state or a UT for the Gorkhas.