Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Encyclopedia
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Nepali
: गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चा) is a registered political party which campaigns for the creation of a separate state (Gorkhaland
) within India
, out of districts in the north of West Bengal
. The party was launched on 7 October 2007.
, a former GNLF councillor of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
, fell out with Subhash Ghisingh
for “opposing the Sixth Schedule status for the hills and for his speeches against Subhash Ghisingh, the party president”. Gurung who was considered one of the most powerful leaders of the hills, stated to oppose the Sixth Schedule bill even though it had received Cabinet approval in the Indian Parliament. He founded GJM on 7 October 2007. The aims and the objectives of the new party was to “fight for the democratic right of the Indian Gorkhas living in India and (to) work unitedly for the creation of separate state for the people residing in the three Hill Sub-Division of Darjeeling, Siliguri Terai and Dooars areas.
(CPRM), the BJP, the Congress and the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League
(ABGL). The BJP organized an all-party meet attended by ABGL, the CPRM, the Congress, the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the GJM and the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh
(BGP), which adopted a resolution asking the state to drop the Sixth Schedule proposal and remove Ghisingh as caretaker administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). The Hill parties did not want the Sixth Schedule as Clause 11 of the Sixth Schedule stated “this in principle Memorandum of Settlement is the full and final settlement of the Darjeeling Hill Areas issue and no further demands in this regard would be entertained”. GJM burnt copies of the 1988 Memorandum of Settlement which had categorically stated, “the GNLF agree to drop the demand for a separate State of Gorkhaland”, thereby reviving the century old demand of Gorkhaland
. The GNLF tried stalling the GJM through various means, and an FIR was also lodged against the party president Bimal Gurung for the attack on a former DGHC councilor K.B. Gurung, but anticipatory bail was granted to Bimal Gurung.
GJM observed hunger strikes, indefinite strikes and prevented locally produced goods from reaching the rest of Bengal, as a protest against the imposition of the Sixth Schedule and for the removal of Subhash Ghisingh. A team was also deputed to New Delhi to apprise the national leaders about the general consensus of the people of the DGHC area because of which, Mr L.K. Advani refused to support Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
’s bid to push Darjeeling into Sixth Schedule. The Bharatiya Janata Party
’s refusal of the sixth schedule status for DGHC pushed it to the Parliamentary Committee. The Parliamentary Committee in its findings suggested that “the Ministry of Home Affairs is required to make a fresh assessment of the ground realities all over again before proceeding with the Bills in the two Houses of Parliament”. The Sixth Schedule bill was thus put in the back burner. The only supporter of the Sixth Schedule, Subhash Ghisingh, was banned from entering the hills. Ghisingh was finally forced to resign on 10 March 2008 as DGHC caretaker.
After a lull of Ghisingh's 20 years rule, the demand for Gorkhaland was again revived by GJM under the leadership of Bimal Gurung. The total area of the proposed state is 6246 km2 and comprises Banarhat, Bhaktinagar, Birpara, Chalsa, Darjeeling, Jaigaon, Kalchini, Kalimpong, Kumargram, Kurseong, Madarihat, Malbazar, Mirik and Nagarkatta. Unlike the 1980s, GJM has maintained that the struggle for Gorkhaland would be through non-violence and non-cooperation.
GJM initially resorted to bandhs, hunger strikes and non-payment of utility bills to further their demand. It was quite enough to get the attention of the State Government, who invited them to Kolkata for bipartite talks. GJM refused to attends the talks as the state Government had set preconditions that they would discuss developmental issues but not Gorkhaland. The Chief Minister extended the invitation again and denied having set any preconditions for the talks.
The first tripartite talks between Government of India, Government of West Bengal and leaders of the Hill Parties headed by GJM was held on 8 September 2008. The hill delegation also submitted a 51-page memorandum to the Union Home Secretary, Government of India.
BJP (Jaswant Singh) 4,96,935 votes
CPI(M) (Jibesh Sarkar) 2,43,766 votes
Congress (Dawa Narbula) 1,87,555 votes
, the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League
leader and a vocal opponent of GJM, was attacked near the Planters Club, Darjeeling by suspected GJM Three people attacked Tamang directly and one of them hacked him with a sharp weapon. He was rushed to the Darjeeling District Hospital where he soon died. A few days later on 25 May, hundreds of mourners joined his funeral procession in Darjeeling.
After the murder, the West Bengal government threatened action against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, whose senior leaders were named in the police FIR, meanwhile hinting discontinuation of ongoing talks over interim arrangement with the Gorkha party, saying it had "lost popular support following the assassination".
on a padyatra led by Bimal Gurung from Gorubathan
to Jaigaon
. This led to violence in the Darjeeling hills and an indefinite strike was called by GJM that lasted 9 days.
held on 18 April 2011. Trilok Dewan won from Darjeeling constituency
, Harka Bahadur Chhetri from Kalimpong constituency
, and Rohit Sharma from Kurseong constituency
. Wilson Champramari, an independent candidate supported by GJM, also won from Kalchini constituency
in the Dooars.
(GTA) will be introduced in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
soon. The GTA will have administrative, executive and financial powers but no legislative powers. The Memorandum of Agreement for GTA was signed on 18 July 2011 at Pintail Village near Siliguri
in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee
and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders. The agreement was signed by West Bengal Home Secretary G.D. Gautama, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary K.K. Pathak and GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.
On 29 October 2011, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP), Dooars Unit signed an 18-point agreement at Mongpong
, after which these organizations jointly proposed a new administrative body called the Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration (GATA) in place of the GTA.
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
: गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चा) is a registered political party which campaigns for the creation of a separate state (Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Nepali/Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and the Dooars in north West Bengal....
) within India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, out of districts in the north of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The party was launched on 7 October 2007.
Evolution
Bimal GurungBimal Gurung
Bimal Gurung is the leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha , a party that is demanding the formation of a Gorkhaland state in India.-DGHC:...
, a former GNLF councillor of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council , also once known for a short period of time as Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council , is a semi-autonomous body that looks after the administration of the Darjeeling District in the state of West Bengal, India...
, fell out with Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh is the leader of Gorkhaland National Liberation Front which he founded in 1980. He was the chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in West Bengal, India from 1988 to 2008...
for “opposing the Sixth Schedule status for the hills and for his speeches against Subhash Ghisingh, the party president”. Gurung who was considered one of the most powerful leaders of the hills, stated to oppose the Sixth Schedule bill even though it had received Cabinet approval in the Indian Parliament. He founded GJM on 7 October 2007. The aims and the objectives of the new party was to “fight for the democratic right of the Indian Gorkhas living in India and (to) work unitedly for the creation of separate state for the people residing in the three Hill Sub-Division of Darjeeling, Siliguri Terai and Dooars areas.
Opposition of the Sixth Schedule
GJM’s opposition of the Sixth Schedule and demand for Gorkhaland was supported by luminaries like Dr Mahendra P Lama, Vimal Khawas, and other parties as well, viz. the Communist Party of Revolutionary MarxistsCommunist Party of Revolutionary Marxists
Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists is a political party based in the Darjeeling District of the Indian state of West Bengal. CPRM was formed in 1996 by Communist Party of India dissidents like former State Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Tamang Dawa Lama, Lok Sabha MP R.B...
(CPRM), the BJP, the Congress and the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League
Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League
Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League is a political party working amongst the Nepali-speaking population in Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India. The party was founded in 1943 by Damber Singh Gurung. The current president is Bharati Tamang, widow of late Madan Tamang, a former president of ABGL...
(ABGL). The BJP organized an all-party meet attended by ABGL, the CPRM, the Congress, the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the GJM and the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh
Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh
Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh is a non-government national-level organization of Indian Gorkhas.Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh was established in 2001...
(BGP), which adopted a resolution asking the state to drop the Sixth Schedule proposal and remove Ghisingh as caretaker administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). The Hill parties did not want the Sixth Schedule as Clause 11 of the Sixth Schedule stated “this in principle Memorandum of Settlement is the full and final settlement of the Darjeeling Hill Areas issue and no further demands in this regard would be entertained”. GJM burnt copies of the 1988 Memorandum of Settlement which had categorically stated, “the GNLF agree to drop the demand for a separate State of Gorkhaland”, thereby reviving the century old demand of Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Nepali/Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and the Dooars in north West Bengal....
. The GNLF tried stalling the GJM through various means, and an FIR was also lodged against the party president Bimal Gurung for the attack on a former DGHC councilor K.B. Gurung, but anticipatory bail was granted to Bimal Gurung.
GJM observed hunger strikes, indefinite strikes and prevented locally produced goods from reaching the rest of Bengal, as a protest against the imposition of the Sixth Schedule and for the removal of Subhash Ghisingh. A team was also deputed to New Delhi to apprise the national leaders about the general consensus of the people of the DGHC area because of which, Mr L.K. Advani refused to support Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is an Indian politician and a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India . He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011...
’s bid to push Darjeeling into Sixth Schedule. The Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
’s refusal of the sixth schedule status for DGHC pushed it to the Parliamentary Committee. The Parliamentary Committee in its findings suggested that “the Ministry of Home Affairs is required to make a fresh assessment of the ground realities all over again before proceeding with the Bills in the two Houses of Parliament”. The Sixth Schedule bill was thus put in the back burner. The only supporter of the Sixth Schedule, Subhash Ghisingh, was banned from entering the hills. Ghisingh was finally forced to resign on 10 March 2008 as DGHC caretaker.
Demand for the separate state of Gorkhaland
The demand for a separate state for the Gorkhas within India is more than 100 years old. "The name "Gorkhaland" is claimed to have been coined by Subhash Ghisingh on 5 April 1980, cf., his speech of 7 September 1989 at Darjeeling". After a violent agitation in the 1980s, which claimed more than 1200 lives in the hills, Subhash Ghisingh settled for the DGHC.After a lull of Ghisingh's 20 years rule, the demand for Gorkhaland was again revived by GJM under the leadership of Bimal Gurung. The total area of the proposed state is 6246 km2 and comprises Banarhat, Bhaktinagar, Birpara, Chalsa, Darjeeling, Jaigaon, Kalchini, Kalimpong, Kumargram, Kurseong, Madarihat, Malbazar, Mirik and Nagarkatta. Unlike the 1980s, GJM has maintained that the struggle for Gorkhaland would be through non-violence and non-cooperation.
GJM initially resorted to bandhs, hunger strikes and non-payment of utility bills to further their demand. It was quite enough to get the attention of the State Government, who invited them to Kolkata for bipartite talks. GJM refused to attends the talks as the state Government had set preconditions that they would discuss developmental issues but not Gorkhaland. The Chief Minister extended the invitation again and denied having set any preconditions for the talks.
The first tripartite talks between Government of India, Government of West Bengal and leaders of the Hill Parties headed by GJM was held on 8 September 2008. The hill delegation also submitted a 51-page memorandum to the Union Home Secretary, Government of India.
"The demand for a separate state within the Constitutional framework and within the Indian Union, consisting of Darjeeling District and the Dooars region of West Bengal is arguably the oldest and most outstanding demand in the country today. This demand for separate statehood is founded on the bedrock of a historical, economic and political rationale. Against the backdrop of socio-economic exploitation, political and cultural hegemony, misgovernance and exclusion, the demand has become an expression of the ingrained and deep rooted aspirations of the people to secure to themselves, and to their succeeding generations, the right to determine their own future."
Lok Sabha election 2009
Jaswant Singh, the BJP candidate, supported by the GJM, won the Darjeeling constituency Lok Sabha election 2009 defeating his nearest rival Jibesh Sarkar of the CPI(M) by a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. The GJM had supported the BJP in lieu of the latter's positive outlook towards the formation of Gorkhaland as mentioned in their party manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.BJP (Jaswant Singh) 4,96,935 votes
CPI(M) (Jibesh Sarkar) 2,43,766 votes
Congress (Dawa Narbula) 1,87,555 votes
Madan Tamang
On 21 May 2010, Madan TamangMadan Tamang
Madan Tamang was an Indian politician of Nepali descent, a Gorkha leader, and the president of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League , a moderate faction of the Gorkhaland movement...
, the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League
Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League
Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League is a political party working amongst the Nepali-speaking population in Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India. The party was founded in 1943 by Damber Singh Gurung. The current president is Bharati Tamang, widow of late Madan Tamang, a former president of ABGL...
leader and a vocal opponent of GJM, was attacked near the Planters Club, Darjeeling by suspected GJM Three people attacked Tamang directly and one of them hacked him with a sharp weapon. He was rushed to the Darjeeling District Hospital where he soon died. A few days later on 25 May, hundreds of mourners joined his funeral procession in Darjeeling.
After the murder, the West Bengal government threatened action against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, whose senior leaders were named in the police FIR, meanwhile hinting discontinuation of ongoing talks over interim arrangement with the Gorkha party, saying it had "lost popular support following the assassination".
Shibshu firing
On 8 February 2011, three GJM activists were shot dead at Shibshu (one of whom succumbed to her injuries later) by the police as they tried to enter Jalpaiguri districtJalpaiguri District
Jalpaiguri district is the largest district of North Bengal, covering an area 6,245 km2. It is situated between 26° 16' and 27° 0' North latitudes and 88° 4' and 89° 53' East longitudes...
on a padyatra led by Bimal Gurung from Gorubathan
Gorubathan
Gorubathan is a small town in the Kalimpong subdivision of Darjeeling district of the Indian state of West Bengal.-Description:Among the locals the place is also known as Sombare. The name has it origin in the weekly village market which is organized here every Monday . Gorubathan is situated on...
to Jaigaon
Jaigaon
Jaigaon is a small town in Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal, near the Bhutan border. The town lies at the gateway to Bhutan - Phuentsholing, and is thus a very thriving place of trade...
. This led to violence in the Darjeeling hills and an indefinite strike was called by GJM that lasted 9 days.
West Bengal assembly elections 2011
GJM candidates won three Darjeeling hill seats in the West Bengal state assembly election, 2011West Bengal state assembly election, 2011
The West Bengal state assembly election, 2011 was held in six phases between 18 April and 10 May 2011 for all the 294 seats of the Vidhan Sabha in the state of West Bengal in India. The Trinamool Congress won an absolute majority of seats. Swami Ramdev backed Mamta and actively campaigned with his...
held on 18 April 2011. Trilok Dewan won from Darjeeling constituency
Darjeeling (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Darjeeling is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
, Harka Bahadur Chhetri from Kalimpong constituency
Kalimpong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Kalimpong is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
, and Rohit Sharma from Kurseong constituency
Kurseong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Kurseong is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
. Wilson Champramari, an independent candidate supported by GJM, also won from Kalchini constituency
Kalchini (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Kalchini is an assembly constituency in Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The seat is reserved for scheduled tribes.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
in the Dooars.
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration
After three and a half years of agitation for a state of Gorkhaland, the GJM reached an agreement with the state government to form a semi-autonomous body that will replace the DGHC to administer the Darjeeling hills. A bill for the creation of Gorkhaland Territorial AdministrationGorkhaland Territorial Administration
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is a semi-autonomous administrative body for the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal, India. The GTA will replace the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, which was formed in 1988 and administered the Darjeeling hills for 23 years...
(GTA) will be introduced in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
West Bengal Legislative Assembly
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is housed in the B.B.D. Bagh area of Kolkata —the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people...
soon. The GTA will have administrative, executive and financial powers but no legislative powers. The Memorandum of Agreement for GTA was signed on 18 July 2011 at Pintail Village near Siliguri
Siliguri
Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...
in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee is the 11th and current chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office. Banerjee founded All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and became chairperson, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders. The agreement was signed by West Bengal Home Secretary G.D. Gautama, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary K.K. Pathak and GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.
On 29 October 2011, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP), Dooars Unit signed an 18-point agreement at Mongpong
Mongpong
Mongpong is a small hill village located in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. This village is located on the bank of Teesta river. The Teesta river breaks into several streams here...
, after which these organizations jointly proposed a new administrative body called the Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration (GATA) in place of the GTA.