Darjeeling normalising? West Bengal govt feels "insulted": Rajnath Singh meets person with "shady" background

By Sadhan Mukherjee*
Darjeeling Hills are still burning but there are indications that they are slowly cooling down. The fire is not that intense as before. At the same time, it seems that the union government and the West Bengal government are on different wave lengths for the solution of the problem.
The second round of the all-party meeting took place between the West Bengal government and the various hill parties, including both the fact ions of Gokhaland Mukti Morcha, one led by Binay Tamang and the other by Bimal Gurung. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee accepted a number of demands of the hill parties.
At the same time, she assigned all responsibilities of lifting the bandh on the Binay Tamang group. But after the meet Bimal Gurung asked people to carry on the bandh expressing his dissatisfaction with the outcome of the all-party meet. He in fact wanted the bandh to continue along with the talks.
Binay Tamang has declared that an appeal will be made to all parties to lift the bandh. But the opposition of the Gurung faction creates a genuine apprehension if the bandh can be lifted at all. Binay Tamang of course has declared “no, Talibani fatwah will not work in the hills” . For the two Gurung group MLAs who have come over to his side, Tamang has said, “Hill MLAs came as Morcha representatives; they were not anybody’s personal property.”
The meeting was well attended; the participants more or less accepted that normalisation of hills by lifting the bandh was the main task. The fear of Gurung is also slowly vanishing. The Chief Minister has accepted several demands of Gorkha land morcha that included salary hike, high level enquiry into various issues, and compensation to the families of the dead and injured during the movement, etc. The next meeting will be held on October 16.
The question now is how to lift the bandh. Many hill leaders believe it should be a joint call which can remove the fear of Gurung group’s warnings. If this plan succeeds, it will mean a multiparty democracy in the hills.
In the GTA office, until now only nine persons used to attend. On Wednesday another 13 joined in. The temporary staff will join in on Thursday 14 September. Thirty teachers of the Darjeeling Government College have been brought to Darjeeling. Some school students are also coming; some of them without their school uniforms since parents have asked them not to wear these for now.
To maintain this rhythm and to help normalisation in the hills before the Durga Puja, the state government has announced some specific steps. This includes advance payment if employees join work by September 15, tripartite meeting for the tea gardens, to normalise ration supply in the hills, etc. Some banks have reopened in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.
The state government is considering advance payment to staff to some departments. The prolonged bandh and non-payment of salary has emptied coffer of all. An advance payment will help facilitate the reopening of shops.
Some shops on footpaths have already begun to sell goods. Transport has resumed in the main areas of hills. They are moving in convoys of 20 vehicles escorted by police security.
Meanwhile, it seems a double-game is going on. Binay Tamang had announced that as soon as hills become normal, he would go to Delhi to meet the central government. Hearing this Gurung follower Roshan Giri post-haste met home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday and a picture of that meeting was officially released by the home ministry.
The state government felt humiliated especially due to the fact that a person against whom cases under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) are going on, how could the home minister meet him? The state government tried to speak to Singh but could not contact him on phone.
Roshan after the meeting asserted that Bimal Gurung is the sole leader of the hills and warned that any step taken without Gurung will only invite trouble. West Bengal maintains that when hills are getting normalised, why is the centre making the situation complicated and why Rajnath Singh meeting the Gurung faction repeatedly and listening to their plea for tripartite meeting.

No tripartite meeting can be held with out the state government, and why should a tripartite meeting be held now? Above all, West Bengal’s query is, why the Gurung group is being patronised by the centre?
---
*Veteran journalist

Comments

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services.

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta* India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C. In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Fragmented opposition and identity politics shaping Tamil Nadu’s 2026 election battle

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* Tamil Nadu is set to go to the polls in April 2026, and the political battle lines are beginning to take shape. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on January 23, 2026, marked the formal launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Addressing multiple public meetings, the Prime Minister accused the DMK government of corruption, criminality, and dynastic politics, and called for Tamil Nadu to be “freed from DMK’s chains.” PM Modi alleged that the DMK had turned Tamil Nadu into a drug-ridden state and betrayed public trust by governing through what he described as “Corruption, Mafia and Crime,” derisively terming it “CMC rule.” He claimed that despite making numerous promises, the DMK had failed to deliver meaningful development. He also targeted what he described as the party’s dynastic character, arguing that the government functioned primarily for the benefit of a single family a...

Search This Blog