Gorkhaland movement organizers have issued a map of Gorkhaland, which includes, -apart from three hills subdivisions (Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong),- the Siliguri subdivision (that means whole of Darjeeling district if Naxalbari zone is included) Dooars areas of Madarihat, Malbazar, Nagrakata, Kalchini, Birpara, Banarhat, Chalsa, Bhaktinagar, Jaigaon, Kumargaon.
If whole of Darjeeling is taken into account then Gorkhas are just about the half line mark in total population of 160000 (2001 census). The bulk population of Gorkhas are however concentrated in three Darjeeling subdivisions of Kurseong, Kalimpong and Darjeeling where they constitute 700000 out of the 800000 population (last census).
The picture is quite different when it comes to Siliguri subdivision with a population of another 800000, a overwhelming 80% are Bengalis apart from Marwaris, Biharis, Adibasis and other small linguistic groups. Although no figure is at hand for the number of Gorkhas in the Siliguri subdivision, the interpolation does not give more than 10% for Gorkhas.
The Dooars areas claimed by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha may be around 3500 sqkm and has an estimated population of 1000000. But the fact is that the Gorkhas constitute less than 30% of this population. The great majority is the scheduled tribes and a large migrant population of Bengalis migrated from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
The above analysis clearly shows that the demand of inclusion of Dooars and Siliguri in Gorkhaland is quite unethical and nonsense. Why a majority population of Bengalis and Adibasis (mostly Bengali or its dialect speaking) shall agree to come under a minority population. What kind of democracy is it on the part of Gurung & Co? Add up their Map of Gorkhaland and population. It will be at best 1100000 Gorkhas against 1600000 non- Gorkhas! Do Gorkhas want to be minority in Gorkhaland?
The question of the Gorkha identity crisis is also false. Gorkhas are a respected lot in this country. We have the great Baichung Bhutia, Prasant Tamung and so on. Sikkim is already a state for Gorkhas (if ‘Gorkha’ means people of Nepali origin, Lepchas, Bhutias etc who are now citizens of India).
However a sixth schedule status should be good enough as a solution to this crisis. Even Darjeeling hills can be integrated into Sikkim.
But the perplexing thing is why Gurung & Co. are demanding Siliguri and Dooars in Gorkhaland knowing very well that it is impossible to include unwilling brute majority population in its Gorkha set up.
The answer probably lies somewhere else. As DGHC (Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council) has only tea gardens (and cinchona gardens), the sales tax (or VAT) revenues will be too small to sustain a state, tourism not withstanding. Also the new state will be short on foods and other essential supplies. So they need large tea gardens of Dooars and Terai plains to augment tax revenues and Siliguri area to get industry and industrial revenue. The plains would also provide them with plenty of agricultural produce.
Another design may be that after getting the plains under Gorkhaland, they would pack them with Nepalese in course of time in collusion with the Maoist of Nepal to turn the area into Nepali (or Gorkhali whatever you say) majority and demand greater Nepal in future. This would put the Maoist automatically in charge of affairs once the Dooars and Siliguri is included in Gorkhaland.
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