Darjeeling Simmers: Bimal Gurung Explains The Gorkhaland Demand
The demand for Gorkhaland is at the centre of the Darjeeling violence. But why does the GJM want a separate state?
(As the violence in Darjeeling continues, the demand for Gorkhaland is at the centre of the agitation. This article has been republished from the archives, and was part of The Quint’s election coverage in West Bengal in 2015.)
A quaint town in North-East India with the Himalayas on one side and boundless beauty on the other – that’s Darjeeling for the rest of the country.
Only, Bimal Gurung has been leading a not-so-silent revolution within the Darjeeling district for almost a decade, promising the ‘people of the hills’ an identity of their own. A land of their own. A state of their own – Gorkhaland.
A dream that took root many decades ago, found a new voice in Bimal Gurung back in 2007 when he formed his new party, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. With the help of an alliance with the BJP, Gurung has managed to keep the dream alive, but the leader now has a deadline in mind for the formation of a separate state.
The Quint caught up with the President of the GJM on the sidelines of his party’s rally in Darjeeling.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)