With the supporters of the oldest separatist state demand pulling out of
the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) while accusing Modi led BJP of
betraying the trust of Gorkhas, it seems the party has a lot to lose
besides only trust.
A close analysis at BJP’s modus operandi
reveals that while the party has always been vocal about the idea of
‘Nationalism’, the alliances forged by the party in different states
prove otherwise.The BJP has been making inroads in several states
through its alliance with parties and/or organizations who have stood
firm in their demands for separate states. Be it the Twipraland demand
by IPFT in Tripura, Gorkhaland demand by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in
Darjeeling, West Bengal, Implementation of Telangana Act,2014 as
demanded by Telugu Desam Party, Andhra Pradesh, demand for Bodoland by
Assam’s biggest biggest tribal community, the Bodos or the demand of
creation of a Punjabi Suba by the Akali Dal in Punjab.
It may be
recalled that BJP’s Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia emerged victorious in
the 2014 Lok Sabha Polls from Darjeeling after assuring the electorate
that BJP would be ‘sympathetic’ to their demand for a separate
Gorkhaland if it came to power at the centre. A Union Minister of State
in the Government of India, he is the member of Parliament of India
representing Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal in the
16th Lok Sabha. As is evident, the BJP actually came to power and went
on to form the government with a simple majority thereby replacing the
decade-long Congress-led UPA government.
However, when the
Gorkhaland agitation reignited between June and September 2017, the BJP
chose not to react, especially at a time when Darjeeling was reeling
under protests and violent clashes that led to the death of eleven
people. The seeds of discontentment among the Gorkhaland supporters was
already sown due to BJP’s apathy towards the situation when disappointed
supporters said that while Mamata was’murdering’ them, BJP was
‘betraying’ them by stabbing them in the back.
This is not the
first time that BJP has been accused of ‘Betrayal’. The Bodo groups had
said their faith in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to resolve the
Bodoland issue was “misplaced” and they only got “false assurances” from
the party — during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the 2016 state
elections.
The recently concluded Assembly elections in three
Northeast Indian states- Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura clearly shows
the gradual advent of BJP in Meghalaya and Nagaland while gaining a
clear majority in Tripura, largely backed by IPFT’s support. A
significant amount of Gorkha population also resides in Northeast India
and after GJM accused BJP of betraying the Gorkhas, the impact it will
create on a sizeable number of Gorkhas will definitely not be a positive
one. Moreover, this incident may also act as an eye-opener to all
separatist state supporters who feel that a National party may be able
to fulfill their demands in one way or another.
https://thenortheasttoday.com
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