CAPTURE OF NORTH BENGAL AND FUTURE DREAM OF GREATER NEPAL

The Nepalese are entering continuously in UTTARBANGA from Nepal and thereafter most of them are claiming that they are not Nepalese, they are Gorkhas. A section of Indian Nepalese are also claiming that they are Gorkhas. There is no existence or there was no existence of Gorkha ethnic group, Gorkha race, Gorkha caste, Gorkha community or separate identity as Gorkhas like Nepalese, Assamese, and Tamils etc in India, in Nepal and in the world.


ACTUALLY THE LEADERS OF THE GORKHA JANMUKTI MORCHA are entrusted with the work by the master planers, to expand the area of Nepalese to create GREATER NEPAL and capture North Bengal, so that they can disconnect the Darjeeling district, Jalpaiguri district, Coochbehar district, Sikkim state and North-East India from rest of India.

It is the history and empirical evidence that Nepalese emerged from Nepal, migrated from Nepal to India and settled all over India, especially Darjeeling and Sikkim were submerged under the incoming flood of Nepalese immigrants.

Migration of the Nepalese to Darjeeling from Nepal since the development of Darjeeling for economic reasons, eventually established their domination in different sectors of economy and cultural life of Darjeeling Hills. Rapid population growth of the Nepalese in Darjeeling district and adjoining areas particularly since the year 1970s, Nepalese adopted the policies of expansion and political control of North Bengal. In Census of 1971 Nepali population including foreigner Nepalese was 1, 28,765 in Jalpaiguri district. In the year 1981 Nepali population including foreigner Nepalese estimated was 1,58,380 growth rate 23% increased 29,615 In 1991 Nepali population estimated was 1,94,807 growth rate 23% increased 36,427 .

But in Census 1991 Nepali population including foreigner Nepalese was about 5,50,000 [from the article ‘Jalpaiguri Gelar Nepali Samaj o Sanskriti’ by kitapsingh Rai; Book - ‘JALPAIGURI DISTRICT ISSUE’, published by information and Cultural Department, Government of West Bengal, 2001]. i.e. about 355,193 (550,000 – 194,807) new foreigner Nepalese entered since 1971 to 1991.

According to estimate there was about 50,000 Nepalese in Jalpaiguri district in the year 1951. These Nepalese and their descendents are Indian Nepalese. Taking into account 10% growth rate in 10 years, the population of Indian Nepalese was about 139,000 in the year 2001 and is about 170,000 in the year 2010 in Jalpaiguri district. The population of Indian Nepalese and foreigner Nepalese, both, was 550,000 in the year 1991. Taking into account 10% growth rate in 10 years, population of Indian Nepalese and foreigner Nepalese, both, was about 676,000 in the year 2001 and is about 830,000 in the year 2010. SO THERE is about 6, 60,000 (830,000 – 170,000) foreigner Nepalese in the year 2010 in Jalpaiguri district


The picture is quite different when it comes to Siliguri subdivision with a population of another 800000, an 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.

In light of the above it is our lenient view that before formation of 9 members committee for identification of Nepali inhabitant areas in dooars and terai location, Government must identify the numbers of Foreigner Nepalese those who came after 1950 and is residing in various locations of Dooars and Terai region and whose citizenship is under cloud in accordance with the Gazette Notification of 1988. It must be cleansed of the alien elements though the interest of the genuine Indian citizens among the Nepali speaking people should not be compromised in this process. The Foreign Nepalese those who came after 1950 are not Indian by any means. It is to noted that formation of 9 members committee is meaningless until and unless foreign Nepalese are being identified and expelled from this country. To start this process Government may appoint a high power committee headed by seating High Court Judge in this respect.

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) and the Dooars areas of Madarihat, Malbazar, Nagrakata, Kalchini, Birpara, Banarhat, Chalsa, Bhaktinagar, Jaigaon, Kumargram. It is not clear that when Gorkhaland is not an issue or a matter for discussion so why Government is considering the map of Gorkhaland/area of GL for further discussion?

Bhutan is watching with some concern the negotiations with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on additional territories in the Dooars for inclusion in the proposed hill council. For, the hill council may now extend to the gateways to Bhutan. By the usual definition the Dooars comprises the foothills of the Himalayas, extending from teesta river in the west to Sankosh river in the east included in the Jalpaiguri district. The areas demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Dooars are understood to be spread over Kalchini, Madarihat, Birpara, Dhupguri, Banarhat, Nagrakata, Meteli and Mal blocks.

In this area, only the Mal and the Meteli blocks have Darjeeling district on the north. From Jiti river in Nagrakata block eastwards, the northern border of this belt merges with the hills of Bhutan. By contrast, the Terai area extending from Mechi river in the west to Teesta in the east, which is also demanded by GJM, is contiguous to the hills of Darjeeling.

Bhutan may claim kalimpong

Bhutan army has a presence in kalimpong. The residence of the queen mother in kalimpong is guarded by contingents of the Bhutanese army and the Indian army. There are huge lands in kalimpong that is owned by the Royal family of Bhutan. People of Kalimpong is still paying rent and that goes directly to the Bhutan government. Sometime when you seek to buy these ‘Bhutan’ owned lands in kalimpong you need to seek FERA clearance for those transactions.


Dooars came to be known as such because the British had found 18 "doors" or entry points to Bhutan, from Nagrakata in the west to Udalguri in Assam in the east, along valleys of rivers flowing down from Bhutan, say Bhutan government sources. If the area becomes part of Gorkha hill council, the Bhutan government would have to deal with the council on many daily issues instead of the West Bengal government like at present.

Besides, the Nepali population in the belt is increasing day by day. This would increase the illegal immigration into Bhutan, the border being porous. Influence of Nepal Maoists in the Indo-Bhutan border area could also increase. Taking advantage of the population composition of the area, Maoists from Nepal could extend their presence to south Bhutan.

According to the sources, people from Nepal started arriving in Bhutan in 1950 in search of employment. They were engaged in felling trees and sawing timber. The Border Roads Organization, too, brought in labourers from Nepal to work in road projects in Bhutan. Many of them settled down in Bhutan. At one point, people of Nepalese origin comprised about 25 per cent of the population of Bhutan, the sources say, but in 1989-90, following a "struggle for establishment of democracy and human rights in Bhutan," many of them had to leave. After 1990, the share of Nepalese origin people in the total of Bhutan has come down to 15 per cent. Many nepalise (Bhutan based) who had to leave Bhutan settled down in the adjoining Dooars area of Jalpaiguri district, adding to the Nepali population in these areas.

This has led to anomalies like Kalchini block having a foreigner Nepali concentration though geographically it is quite far from the Darjeeling hills. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha candidate Wilson Chapramari(a bodo leader) and a candidate of GJMM won in the Kalchini assembly seat due to above concentration and also division of the adivasi votes among the political parties. Jaigaon, which is the main entry point to Thimpu via Phuentsholling, has a large foreigner Nepali concentration. In the other three assembly constituencies adjoining Bhutan border, however, Nagrakata, Madarihat and Kumargram, candi-dates of RSP and Congress won.

Bhutan has a large border with Assam also, from Sankosh river in the west to Udalguri in the east. This belt is Bodo-dominated and now is a part of the Bodoland Territorial Areas District. Wilson Chamramari(a bodo leader) and who is a staunch supporters of Gorkhaland having a good link with the Leaders of Bodoland Territorial Areas District.

India is always a soft state without any strategy. It does not react but always gives in to demands by neighbouring countries. In similar circumstances in the 1950s, when large numbers of Indians were settled in Burma and Sri Lanka for more than a hundred years, they got expelled and India accepted them back without protest. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have expelled almost all non-Muslims. Tamils who are living in Sri Lanka for thousands of years wanted a separate state within Sri Lanka as a federal country with recognition of their human rights. In response, at least 80,000 of them were killed and their society was devastated by the Sri Lankan army. India is not doing anything to help. Now, when India faces a very violent country, Nepal, controlled by Maoists closely linked with China, the response is to offer more autonomy to these foreign citizens and allow them to come to India more and more to take over larger areas. The Nepalese demand today is not restricted to Darjeeling district any more; they are demanding practically the whole of north Bengal as part of their new Set UP and ultimatum goal of Gorkhaland. Nepalese immigrants have already taken over Sikkim where they constitute more than 70 per cent of the population.

Two questions should be asked. How long would it take these Nepalese through immigration to take over parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarachal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which they had occupied during the early 19th century? What would be implications given the close relationship between the present Government of Nepal and China? The government of India does not care about this, but it is urging the West Bengal government to compromise although the creation of New Set Up/Gorkhaland as a Nepalese-controlled area threatens the link between India and the whole of the north-eastern India.

The government must know about the sui- generic status of the 'Gorkhas' so far as the citizenship is concerned (vide Indo Nepal Treaty 1950 and extra ordinary Gazette notification, dated 23rd August 1988; No.26011/6/88-IC.I). Till identification and registration of treaty beneficiary Nepali Nationals in the territory of India, no negotiations should be continued because those negotiations cannot be and will not be legally valid. A quick look at the census figures from 1951 to 2001 will be a glaring example of how India is invaded by foreigners, who are of late trying to disturb the peace, unity and sovereignty of our country.

The only realistic solution is to cancel the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950, accept Nepal as a foreign country and Nepalese as foreign citizens with restricted permission to stay in India but without any political rights, as is the case with other foreign citizens.

The above analysis clearly shows that the demand of inclusion of Dooars and Siliguri in Gorkhaland is also quite unethical and nonsense. Why a majority population of Bengalis, Adibasis other communities shall agree to come under a minority population.

It is most important that majority communities/organizations including Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad, is not supporting their demand. The  Dooars Terai Nagarik Manch are also out-rightly rejecting the demand of inclusion of Dooars/Terai in Interim setup as raised by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha.