Hills pact spurs speculations, fear//Fingers crossed in Hills ahead of landmark deal

DARJEELING/MIRIK/SILIGURI: Except for a few pockets in the hill subdivisions, Darjeeling wasn't celebrating on Sunday in anticipation of what Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders believe will be the first step towards the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state.

In fact, there seemed to be an undercurrent of fear at many places. People, even those of Nepali origin, seemed apprehensive of what would happen once GJM got additional powers after the signing of the Gorkhaland Territorial Agreement between the Morcha, the state government and the Centre on Monday.

A trader in Mirik pointed to a Nepali cap in his shop window. He had to shell out `170 to buy it when GJM had made wearing it mandatory. "I hated wearing it when they forced us to do so," he said.

The GJM office in Mirik, which has received a fresh coat of paint, was locked. The leaders had all left for Siliguri to attend Monday's ceremony. The man on the street, however, was not sure what the 'ceremony' was all about.

"Oh, yes, I've heard Mama-ta didi is coming to Siliguri from Cooch Behar. There will be some sort of ceremony the-re. For us what matters is a better lifestyle. I shall continue to call out to tourists to have lunch at my restaurant even after the agreement is signed. I won't become a king even if a state called Gorkhaland is formed," a restaurant owner at the busy Mirik market said.

At places like Subedar Bus-ty Hall in Kurseong, though, celebrations started early on Saturday. Women — their faces smeared in abir — danced to local numbers past midnight. Near Salbari, close to Pintail village, where the pact will be signed, women were seen preparing buntings and streamers in yellow and green. 

 

Hills pact spurs speculations, fear

DARJEELING/SILIGURI: A day before the Gorkhaland Territorial Agreement (GTA) is signed, emotions ran high among the people from the Hills as well as the plain land. While some were ecstatic, some looked outraged and others maintained a stoic silence. Questions are already doing the rounds on how long this latest euphoria will last before the Hills witness another round of unrest. Nearly 23 years ago, a similar accord was signed between Subhas Ghising's GNLF, the Centre and the state in Kolkata. However, the pact failed to bring any significant development in the region.

"Before long, you will find a breakaway faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) spearheading yet another agitation for separate statehood. Trouble is that none of the leaders have got a specific roadmap for development. They are simply riding the waves of discontentment and identity crisis to create better lives for themselves. That is exactly what happened with the GNLF," said a retired school teacher in Sukna, barely a few kilometres away from where the agreement will be signed on Monday.

Though of Nepali origin, he didn't hesitate to point to a group of young men slicing bamboo with khukris across the road. The sticks they are preparing will be used to put up GJM flags along the route which West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Union home minister P Chidambaram will take on Monday.

"I don't hold out much hope with these sorts of people controlling things in the region. Ever since the new government in the state talked of sorting out the Darjeeling issue, youngsters such as these have been going around with an air of defiance. Threats have already started being issued on personal matters. Even those of Nepali origin are being forced to bear the brunt. I fear that just like Ghising, these people will start running the region like a fiefdom," he said.

Elsewhere, like in the Jalpaiguri district, there is always the concern of ethnic clashes breaking out. Though Kalchini MLA Wilson Champramari is expected to attend Monday's ceremony at Pintail village, people of non-Nepali origin have nothing to harp on, which would assure them of a peaceful existence.

"The situation is so tense that even a minor incident will lead to a major conflagration. The GJM leadership has not come out with a statement announcing that everybody will be treated equally. There was no need to push for the word 'Gorkhaland'. This reeks of parochialism. Tomorrow, we will have other groups seeking ethnic settlements. There was nothing wrong with the word 'Darjeeling'," a trader in Siliguri said. According to him, Mamata will have to tread carefully and stub out any kind of violence, the moment it starts. Given the state of affairs in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri now, even a minor altercation can lead to extreme violence and throw all her plans for development in jeopardy. 

~TOI