Gorkhas renew demand for autonomous council in Assam

GUWAHATI: A day after the Centre, the West Bengal government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) signed an agreement to pave the way for creation of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) at Pintail village, about eight km from Siliguri, the Gorkhas in Assam have renewed their demand for creation of a Gorkha Autonomous Council (GAC) within the geographical limits of the state.
The decision to launch a movement was taken at a conference of All Assam Gorkha Students' Union (Aagsu) in Golaghat district last week.
Nanda Kirati Dewan, Aagsu's information and publicity secretary, on Tuesday said the union has reiterated its long-standing demand for creation of GAC that is expected resolve the problems of identity and ethnicity of Gorkhas in Assam and bringing integrity and prosperity to the people of the community.
He added that the demand was almost a decade-old now and that the state government has blindfolded the Gorkhas of Assam by forming the Gorkha Development Council (GDC). "We accept GDC. But we want to make it clear that it is never in lieu of GAC. The strategic democratic movement for GAC shall continue with a bigger mandate in the days to come," he said.
Aagsu leaders met at Chandnapur along the Assam-Nagaland border in Golaghat district on July 13 during the 8th biennial conference of the union's Golaghat district committee. Sahitya Akademi awardee from Darjeeling, Kiran Kumar Rai, attended the event.
Prominent among those who took part in the conference were pro-talks Ulfa leader Mrinal Hazarika, member of Gorkha Development Council Padum Boraili, organising secretary of All Missing Students' Union Chittaranjan Doley, Romeo P Narzary, a leader of All Bodo Students' Union (Absu) and Dil Bahadur Limboo, the chief adviser of Aagsu.
Limboo said the Gorkhas would always be a part of any movement for prosperity, integrity and safeguarding the geographical territory of Assam besides development of composite Assamese society, inclusive of people of the community.
Addressing the conference, pro-talks Ulfa leader Mrinal Hazarika had spoken about Ulfa's movement and the contribution made by Gorkhas. He made it clear that Aagsu leaders under Limboo's leadership established direct contact with Ulfa after they declared unilateral ceasefire and highlighted the contribution of the community in Assam and their legitimate demand for GAC.
Differentiating Nepali nationals and indigenous Gorkhas of Assam, Hazarika also extended his moral support towards the formation of GAC under the democratic support of United Peoples' Federation of Assam (UPFA) of which Aagsu is an integral part.
"We want Gorkhas to be part of Ulfa's democratic movement in the process of getting full regional autonomy from Centre through proper and strategic dialogue. Ulfa reposed its faith in the Aagsu leadership for
co-ordinated efforts in making Assam a land of ethnic and indigenous people only," said Hazarika.The leaders appealed to Gorkhas to be a part of socio-cultural and socio-political movements of Assam.
"Doyang Darpan-Jiyallo Adivesan", a souvenir-cum-mouthpiece of Aagsu, was also released by litterateur Kiran Kumar Rai during the conference. Rai recalled the contribution of literature in community building process and paid homage to Acharya Bhanu Bhakta, the great Gorkha poet, on his 197th birth anniversary.
~TOI