Mukesh Sharma
Kalimpong,5th March

Noted intellectual and dramatist CK Shrestha has come with a concept of a national organization to find an enduring solution to the identity problem of the Gorkha community. Addressing a meet in Kalimpong today he today shared his views of forming a Gorkha National Sattelite Council. Shrestra told that the aspiration of Gorkhas for an Indian Identity is about establishing and maintaining this very sense of equality. All Gorkhas in India want to live as Indians and die as Indians with a legitimate provision in the constitution defining their national identity, as well as providing them political security. The demand for creation of a separate Gorkha
state in India was based on this principle and participation of Gorkha community in the national governance in the form of a state of their own would have surely fulfilled this Gorkha aspiration.
He added that Darjeeling centric Gorkhaland movements and their outcomes have frustrated the statehood aspirants and as such, a national council will be a best option in their general interest. Stating his analysis of Gorkhaland movements till date along with the unstable character of the regional and national parties and the
stubborn notion of the state government towards the demand, he concluded it would be impractical to keep on carrying ahead the demand for Gorkhaland.

Shrestha said even though he has no opposition to the pro-Gorkhaland parties and organizations, the initiative of forming National Gorkha Council is to ensure identity protection of Gorkhas all across the
country.


However, he added that two decades of struggle for our statehood demand has proven beyond doubt that a movement limited within the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling has not been effective. Also, the different solutions prescribed by the Government to appease the movement have only been Darjeeling-centric which are inappropriate to grant security to the larger national identity issue of the Indian Gorkhas who live outside of the Darjeeling District. It has further been observed, division of a state, however justified it might be, has always been a painful procedure resulting most of the time in political enmity and strained relations between the involved communities.


Taking into consideration all the above mentioned facts, Founder of Gorkha Bharati Vichar Manch has forward a solution for addressing the national identity problem of the Gorkhas in India. Reiterating the same principle that a participation in the national governance, in any form, establishes the national identity of a community, the Gorkha Bharati Vichar Manch strongly proposes that a council having constitutional safeguards in the style of GORKHA NATIONAL SATELLITE COUNCIL be created at the national level for fulfilling the aspiration of 12.5 million stateless Indian Gorkhas.
Leaving the intricacies and details to the final draft the 2 main features of the proposed National Council are -
(1)     The Council will be created by an amendment of the constitution hence it will be a constitutional body having specific powers assuring the participation of Gorkhas in the national governance and subsequently providing the national identity as well as political security to the Gorkhas.

(2)     Being a Satellite Council it will have no physical territory as such, hence it will be operational all over India. It means all the members of Gorkha community, whichever state they are residing in, will be its direct beneficiary. As the state of West Bengal patronizes and looks after the interest and well being of Bengali community all over India, states of Bihar and Maharashtra does the same to Bihari
and Marathi community,  Gorkha National Satellite Council will, similarly, look after the interest, well being and all round development of Gorkha community throughout India. Again leaving behind the finer details the organizational format (proposed) of the GORKHA NATIONAL SATELLITE COUNCIL will be -
(1)     It will consist of members elected from states on the basis of adult franchise, The number of representatives from each state will be in proportion to the number of Gorkha voters of that state.
(2)     The Satellite Council will function under a ministry and a union minister, ex-officio, will be entrusted to look after its affairs.
(3)     It will have a Central Secretariat and State Secretariats or Secretariats for cluster of states to administer the affairs of the Council at different levels.
Gorkha Bharati Vichar Manch is of the firm opinion that while the principle regarding the long deserving issue of Gorkha's national identity cannot be compromised the format and modalities of functioning of the Council could be open to improvisation.