Darjeeling, Aug. 4: Narendra Modi’s offer
that India was ready to review its 1950 treaty with Nepal has prompted
renewed calls by political parties in the hills to seek a re-look at
Article VII of the pact to help solve the “identity” problem of Indian Gorkhas.
The purported lack
of a distinct identity for the Gorkhas is one of the major points on
which the hill parties have premised their demand for Gorkhaland.
Parties such as
the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the GNLF argue that Article VII of the
Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1950, portrays the Indian
Gorkhas as “immigrants”.
The Prime Minister
made the remark on the treaty at a banquet hosted by his Nepali
counterpart, Sushil Koirala, in Kathmandu yesterday. The PMO quoted
Modi as saying: “My doors are open, I invite you to bring any
suggestions to review the 1950 treaty, if you so want.”
Article VII of the
treaty says: “The Governments of India and Nepal agree to grant, on
reciprocal basis, to the nationals of one country in the territories of
the other the same privileges in the matter of residence, ownership of
property, participation in trade and commerce, movement and other
privileges of a similar nature.”
The hill parties
believe the privileges granted by Article VII lead to the Gorkhas in
India being termed as “immigrants” from Nepal. The parties say such an
identity problem can be solved only through the formation of Gorkhaland.
Roshan Giri, the
general secretary of the Morcha, said the party welcomed Modi’s decision
to review the treaty. “We are now hopeful that after the revision of
the treaty, there will be a clear distinction between the Gorkhas of
India and the Nepalese citizens,” he told The Telegraph over the phone
from Haridwar.
The GNLF and the
CPRM were more forthcoming and demanded that Article VII be scrapped.
M.G. Subba, the convenor of the GNLF’s Darjeeling branch committee,
said: “Our stand is clear. Article VII has to be abolished.”
Citizens of India and Nepal do not need visas to enter each other’s territory because of Article VII.
Govind Chhetri,
the spokesman for the CPRM, said: “It is important that the system of
passport and visas must be introduced to travel (from India) to Nepal
and vice versa. The lack of such a provision has created the present
controversy. So, Article VII of the treaty should be scrapped.”
Modi’s remark came
in the backdrop of a meeting of the joint commission of India and Nepal
formed to look into the bilateral relationship. Although the commission
had been formed in 1987, it had been dormant for years. Last week,
India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart in Nepal,
Mahendra Bahadur Pandey co-chaired a meeting of the joint commission.
The identity issue
of the Gorkhas being propounded by the Darjeeling-based political
parties might not be in Modi’s mind while he expressed his readiness to
review the treaty. This is because Nepal has been protesting the treaty,
which it believes is loaded heavily in favour of India.
The campaign
against Article VII of the accord had even led to bloodbath in the
hills. On July 27, 1986, when GNLF supporters were marching to Kalimpong
to burn a copy of the treaty, 13 people died in a police firing.
Source: The Telegraph
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