The Century-Long Evolution of the Demand for a Gorkha State

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a high-level committee to prepare a framework for a “permanent political solution” to the Gorkha issue.

Roots in Differential Treatment

• The demand for a separate administrative identity for the Gorkhas dates back more than a century and is rooted in perceived cultural, linguistic and political marginalisation.
• Darjeeling and adjoining areas have a distinct Nepali-speaking hill population, culturally different from the Bengali-majority plains of West Bengal.
• The first organised demand emerged in 1907, when the Darjeeling Hillmen’s Association sought separation of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri from Bengal before the Minto-Morley Reforms Committee.
• The demand was later raised before the Simon Commission in 1929 and British authorities for an alternative administrative arrangement.
• In 1947, the undivided Communist Party of India submitted a memorandum for “Gorkhasthan” to Jawaharlal Nehru and Liaquat Ali Khan.

The Gorkhaland Movement

• The statehood movement acquired a militant character in the 1980s under Subhas Ghising and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).
• The agitation led to the creation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988, a semi-autonomous administrative body.
• In 2007, Bimal Gurung and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) revived the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.
• The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was created in 2011, replacing the DGHC as the regional autonomous body.
• The movement again intensified in 2017 after the West Bengal government’s Bengali-language policy triggered a 104-day agitation and shutdown.
• The 2017 unrest caused protester deaths, violence and major disruption to Darjeeling’s tourism-dependent economy.

New Panel’s Mandate

• The new committee will examine all dimensions of the Gorkha issue within the framework of the Constitution.
• It will assess possible structural and governance arrangements for the region.
• The panel will examine the need for financial assistance and development support for the Gorkha-majority areas.
• It will also review the roadmap for granting Scheduled Tribe status to 11 Gorkha communities.

Key Issue

The Gorkha question reflects a long-running demand for political autonomy, cultural recognition and administrative representation, while any settlement must also address constitutional, territorial and federal concerns.