From BongoBhango Aandolan To United Districts of India (UID)

From BongoBhango Aandolan To United Districts of India (UID)


The British divided Bengal or Bangla into two parts - West Bengal (Paschim Banga) and East Bengal (Purba Bongo) based on dominance of Hindu and Muslim residents. There were protests and agitations. But West Bengal remained West Bengal as a State in Independent India and East Bengal tuned into East Pakistan and then formed itself into a separate sovereign State of Bangladesh. West Bengal however retained both the names of Paschim Bongo and West Bengal with regions within itself called as Uttar Bongo or North (West) Bengal and Dakshin Bongo South (West) Bengal.

A part of North (West) Bengal has seen demand for a separate State for Gorkhas (mostly immigrant Nepalese): some other smaller communities also want a separate Indian State. The larger the number of States and smaller the size of each State, greater is the opportunity of local residents to become MLAs, MPs, Ministers and Chief Ministers. If the State is on the Indian borders, greater is the advantage of smuggling activity richness and power to threaten the Indian State with separation. And, if these areas have suffered long periods of discrimination and neglect of economic development projects by distant State capitals, the justification for a separate State within or outside India becomes stronger.

The Left Government in West Bengal did exceedingly well in neglecting North Bengal's economic development for 34 years, allowing the movement for separate State called GorkhaLand in the West Bengal's Hill district of Darjeeling to gather momentum. And, then they pleased the leaders of the movement by giving some money to Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) - an administrative body of 19 elected representatives and 9 State Government nominees for the development of the Hill district, to spend the money the way liked without any checks and balances. The Gorkha leaders followed the broader Indian tradition and siphoned large part of the money the Council received through corrupt practices. The Gorkhas got disgusted with such leaders as new clean image leaders took over and started demanding Statehood under the banner of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, The Left government of West Bengal got into a mess and could not either control the agitations and disturbances nor have an amicable settlement with the Morcha.Just within two months of coming to Power, the new Mamata Government has arrived at a settlement. A new Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) with 45 elected representatives and 5 West Bengal Government Nominees will be installed in the next 6 to 8 months through a legislative, delimitation and election process. The Gorkhas seem to be happy. The Trinamool Government headed by Ms Mamata Banerjee is happy.

But some people including the Leftist parties who lost power are unhappy. They welcome the return of peace with the deal that the new government made with the Gorkha Morcha but has protested against the hurried method of getting in to a deal without consulting all political parties in West Bengal. Additionally they have serious concerns about the fall out of the deal: (a) the Adivasis, the Rajbagshis and the Bengalis of North Bengal are getting frightened by Gorkha domination and likely inclusion of some areas in Terrai and Dooars Tea growing belt in the jurisdiction of the GTA, (b) continued tensions between the GTA and other parts of the North Bengal Valley and (c) GTA is likely to be used as a stepping stone to formation of the separate State of Gorkaland, resulting in division of West Bengal.

The concerns are justified, but have nothing to do with the recent deal. The existing deal with the Gorkhas when it had been concluded by the previous Leftist Government leading to the formation of DGHC was implicated with similar concerns. That the DGHOC deal could be a stepping stone to the demand for separate state became a violent reality actually materialized. The Leftist Government had to face demands by agitators for separate state for other communities in other parts of north Bengal and the concern that there would be increasing tensions among Gorkhas, Adivasis Rajbanghshis and Bengalis became a reality during the last few years of the Left Government Rule. These agitations all over North Bengal from the Hills to the Plains with absence of peace crippling the economy of this region with adverse fall out on the economy of West Bengal State and the India for the past several years. So, if these concerns remain after the new deal on 18 July 2011, nothing worse has happened. Rather, there was a possibility of peace returning and a better mechanism to ensure effective implementations of social-economic development of this region is getting established. The new deal has definitely deferred the formation of Gorkhaland. Rather, there is a small chance that the demand for Gorkhaland may die its own death if the GTA experiment succeeds in economic and social transformation in the hill region and the plains of North Bengal.

Some great thinkers have expressed a silly worry that the deal does not provide for withdrawal of demand for separate Gorkhaland State by the Gorkha Jamukti Morcha. As if signing an agreement by the Morcha makes it impossible or unconstitutional for the Gorkha community in North Bengal later to agitate for separate Gorkha State under the aegis of say a new body Gorkha Statehood Fraternity. If today Mr Gurung is asked why is not categorically saying Gorkhas would not demand a separate State , he may be forced to say 'We will not demand separate Statehood from a Chief Minister like Ms Mamata Banerjee, but we may have to demand Statehood if the Left Front Government returns to power in West Bengal'. That may help remove the concern but does such a Statement (which is already implicit in what he has been saying) help the leftist critics of the deal.

Even if Gorkhaland does come into being after 10 years, what is the great concern? As if new states had not been formed in Independent India? What is the problem if South (West) Bengal demands separate statehood for coastal Region? Will India not allow any new State to be formed from 2010 till 2110?

Is there a scientific rationale behind any specific number of States? What if there are as many States as there are MPs in the Lok Sabha - wouldn’t be great to have a rather simple chain, knocking off one layer out of the administrative structure? One elected Lok Sabha member, one elected Rajya Sabha member, one directly elected Chief Minister, 20 or so MLAs of which two can be appointed as Minister to assist the Chief Minister for each State of District size. Uniform Goods and Services tax rates and uniform VAT system for all district-State. What is the great problem? Police, fire services, Courts, education, Tax Collection, etc? These can be pooled or outsourced to National / Regional District Security/ Fire Services/ Electricity / Utility Services organizations just like Border Security Force. There could be National Tax Collection Administration Agency. If Tripura and Meghalaya States can each have separate everything, each district can also have same everything and all districts can be upgraded to Statehood... This may call for amendment of the Constitution! What is the great problem? So many amendments have been made in last 60 years. One more major amendment will not cause any great strain.

Do not use such terms as unwieldy, uneconomic etc? How could 30 States and 500 districts network any less unwieldy and uneconomic than just say 400 districts District-States? Impractical? What has been the percentage increase in the number of States and number of districts in last 60 years? The concept of States in India has not something that has fallen from the heaven or come out of the immutable laws of Mathematics or Physics or Political science. With just 33 crore population some countries have 50 States: India can have at least 200 District States to be comparable.

Bengali's and Indians need to get themselves freed from blind faith in all that happens to exist in political framework in the past or present. Building bright future is constrained by such baseless bondage...