Save India from clandestine invasion...

COPY OF STATEMENT, PRESS CONFERENCE DATED 27 JULY, 2010 (KOLKATA PRESS CLUB)

We desire to draw your attention to certain facts regarding genesis of Gorkhaland Movement vis-à-vis the Indo-Nepal Treaty.

Right from the beginning of the agitations for the so-called Gorkhaland, a saga of a hundred years’ struggle for the same is being paraded as the central theme, which of late is becoming more and more strident. Unveiling of the truth behind this charade hinges on the revelation of the historical truth, which will also nail the much-hyped myth of “Hundred years of struggle”. Hence there is a need to examine the same as pre-1950 and post-1950 periods of the so-called struggle.

In 1907, Chandra Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana went out of his way to rush to the British authorities in London to demand for a separate state in Darjeeling and Duars, which was neither within his jurisdiction nor his concern. Understandably it was a frantic attempt on the part of Rana, the tyrant in Nepal, to isolate the migrated Nepalese tea garden labourers (mostly matoalis) in Darjeeling from the people of Bengal, as a deterrent against the propagation of the spirit of revolt in Nepal against dictatorial oligarchic rule of the Ranas. It needs to be mentioned here that from 1905 there was an outburst of new turbukent spirit of nationalism in Bengal, which had come up from the movement of civil disobedience against the British attempt to partition Bengal.

Next to come was the demand for a separate state in Darjeeling from a joint forum of European Association and Planters’ Association. Obviously what they wanted was a scheduled area to carry on with unquestioned exploitation of labourers in the tea gardens, an ancient version of today’s S.E.Z.

From 1917, the Hillmen’s Association, an organization of the stooges of the British like the ex army officers and some others with similar vested interests under the patronage of the British, came forward with the demand for a separate state in Darjeeling, and submitted memorandums in 1917, 1930 and 1934. A few lines from the memorandums, submitted by Hillmen’s Association, will expose the character and attitude of the protagonists of this association!

(Excerpts from the first memorandum of 1917)

“What prompts us to approach Government is not any feeling of discontent or dissatisfaction with the present system of Government. On the contrary we are perfectly contended. We have hitherto abstained from all political agitation and we have treated the movement for home rule with neglect and even disfavour”

To add more:-

“For the great mass of our population are Mongolian and akin to the peoples beyond the Himalayas rather than those of India”

(Excerpts from the second memorandum of 1930)

“That the Gurkhas although in minority in the provinces of British India are not a negligible element and in view of their services to the Gorkhaland in Military, and Civil and other departments of Gorkhaland they (Gurkhas) have played no mean part in the preservation of the solidarity of the British Empire”

To continue further:-

“That with the advent of the new constitution, which is being framed the Gurkhas are apprehensive that their claims may be ignored and that eventually they may have to be merged with rest of India, for causes beyond their control.”

Now to conclude

“These are minimum requirements for the prevention of the Gurkhas as a nation within British India and Gurkhas most emphatically urge that in view of their past service and sacrifice for the Empire this request should be granted by parliament and thus earn the eternal gratitude of the comrade in arm”

(Excerpts from the third memorandum of 1934)

“That during the later part of nineteenth century this district was carved out by annexations from the neighbouring states of Sikkim and Bhutan and since the advent of British rule in the district the hill people have enjoyed the sweet harvest of peace and prosperity”

It further continues:-

“This district has always enjoyed the privilege of a fostering care of the British Crown whose representative in the province is its Governor”

Its clincher is:-

“The hill people, who have also enjoyed preferential treatment in the Government services as well in the district to a great extent and the hill people by their unquestionable loyalty and devotion to the British Crown have amply justified the trust reposed on them”

Those were the assertions from the Hillmen’s Association. A quick look at them instantly reveals the intentions, attitude and identity of those self-proclaimed leaders of the hill people. Remarkably amongst those abundance of obsequious affirmations by the British loyalists of Hillmen’s Association, not even a single word was pronounced against the continued, unabated, inhuman torture on the miserable Nepali tea garden labourers in the hills to generate unlimited profit for the European tea planters. In reality the poverty-stricken hunger driven migrants from Nepal to the tea gardens of Darjeeling were non entities to those British loyalists of Hillmen’s Association. The non entities on the other hand naturally had no concern and hence no involvement with those separatist clamours from the sycophants of the British occupants in India.

If the champions of to-day’s so called Gorkhaland movement claim any continuity with the legacy of the British loyalists, with their sycophancy and apathy to the freedom movement of India, as reflected in the texts of those old memoranda of so-called century old struggle for a separate state from 1907, then how do they justify their existence in India as Indians who still cherish their glorious history of struggle for freedom from British rule ?

On the 15^th August 1947, India immerged as an independent country. After being freed from British rule it had to take a fresh start as a nation, and she opted for the status of a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic. With this aim the Constitution of India was framed. India being a country of legendary tolerance and hospitality, had been a lucrative target for number of armed expeditions and a shelter for waves of refuge-seekers through ages. Most of them ultimately found their home here on the soil of India. The Article-V of the Constitution of India included all those communities into the fold of the new nation. The Persians, the Armenians, the Chinese, the Nepalese irrespective their communities and ethnic origin, were accepted as Indian citizens. Even that is not the end of Indian altruism; the unemployed hungry population of Nepal is given a thoroughfare to sustenance in Indian territory through 6^th and 7^th Articles of Indo-Nepal Treaty, only to be paid back by hostilities and betrayal. The unscrupulous beneficiaries of the said treaty, indulged by the callus indifference and unpardonable lapses from the administrative agencies of the central and state governments of India have mis-utilized this unnecessary treaty of suicidal charity. Through years this 6^th and 7^th Articles of the treaty of 1950 have in reality become a thoroughfare to hell for India; from smuggling to women trafficking, from escape route for criminals to security hazards, northern region of West Bengal has to bear with all these abuses.

Accumulation of huge number of foreign (Nepali) nationals due to unregulated mass migration from Nepal to India have not only expropriated a large share of government’s welfare services meant for Indian citizens in West Bengal, but within a period of few decades from 1951 to 2001 the Nepali speakers’ population in Darjeeling district showed an out of the world growth of 775.16% (88958 persons in 1951 to 778528 persons in 2001), the reason obviously is never ending flow of migration of Nepali nationals to Darjeeling district. As within a decade from 1951 to 1961 the population of Nepali speakers in Darjeeling district grew by 314.95%, very significantly 1961 was the beginning of the so-called language rally organized by All India Gorkha League in Darjeeling Town. Huge number of aggressive Nepalese agitators from rural hamlets and tea garden areas which had been the ghettos for the Nepalese Migrants, arrived and assembled in Darjeeling town many were armed with khukris and shouting provocative slogans in support of their demand for official recognition of Nepali language. This fearsome incident marked the beginning of marginalization of Bengalis (read Indians) in the hills of Darjeeling through intimidation, assaults and coercion.

Facts regarding citizenship status of the ethnic Nepalese / Gorkhas in India

“The question of citizenship of the Gorkhas will be clarified through the issue of a Gazette Notification by Govt. of India” (Final settlement. Tripartite Accord GNLF-State Government-Central Govt 1988)

The gazette notification was as follows:-

Published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary Part - I Section 1 dated the 23rd August 1988
No. 26011/6/88-ICI
Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs
New Delhi the 23rd August, 1988

NOTIFICATION

Whereas it has come to the notice of the Central Government that there have been some misconception about the citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution of India of certain classes of person commonly known as Gorkhas, who had settled in India at such commencement.
And whereas it is considered necessary to clear such misconception it is hereby clarified as follows:
(1)  As from the commencement of the Constitution, that is as from 26-1-1950, every Gorkha who had his domicile in the territory of India, that is the territories which on 26-1-1950 became part of or constituted the territory of India as defined in Article-1 (2) of the Constitution of India and -
(a)  Who was born in the territory of India or
(b)  Either of whose parents was born in the territory of India or
(c)   Who had been ordinarily resident in the territory of India for not less than five years before such commencement shall be a citizen of India as provided in Article 5 of the Constitution of India.
(2)  No such person as is referred to in paragraph (1) above shall be a citizen of India or be deemed to be a citizen of India if he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of any foreign State, as provided in Article 9 of the Constitution of India.
(3)  Every person who is citizen of India at the commencement of the Constitution as aforesaid shall continue to be such a citizen subject to the provisions of any law that may be made by Parliament as provided in Article 10 of the Constitution of India.
(4)  The provisions of the Citizenship Act 1965 and the Rules and orders made there-under shall apply to the persons referred to in paragraph (1) after the commencement of Constitution.

Sd/-

(INDIRA MISRA)

Joint Secretary to the Government of India

A quick review of the census figures from 1951 to 2001 will clarify how India is invaded by the foreigners from Nepal, who are of let trying to disturb the peace, unity and sovereignty of the country in the name of so-called Gorkhaland Movement.

As for intrusion of Nepali migrants in our electoral process can be revealed from a comparative study of two Parliamentary constituencies of northern region of Bengal,

1)  For Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency the enter pot for Nepalese Migrants and the hot bed of Gorkhaland agitation.

In 1957 the total number of electors were 335292 whereas

In 1999 the total number of electors were 1276753.

An increase of 941461 electors within this period.

2)  For Coochbehar Parliamentary constituency which is only about 200 kms away from Darjeeling town and being adjacent to Bangladesh border is prone to infiltration from Bangladesh.

In 1957 the total number of electors were 812583 whereas

In 1999 the total number of electors were 1116523.

An increase of 303940 electors within this period.

This is the crux of the matter. The flow of migration is so intense that within a period of few decades they have changed the entire demography of the Himalayas and the foothills in this part of the country strategically so important. Add to this infiltration of ethnic Nepalese from Bhutan (Bhupalese) driven out from there but posing as Indo-Nepal Treaty beneficiaries and also the retired Nepali contract soldiers of Gorkha Regiment questionably settled in this region against the letter and spirit of the Britain-India-Nepal Tripartite Agreement of November 1947.