State Reorganization Committee after 50 years!

Darjeeling: New issue to heat-up Darjeeling hills in this chilled winter, particularly in opposition camps. Congress party will propose to the Centre to set up the second State Reorganization Commission (SRC) after 50 years to look into demands for the creation of smaller states.

Digvijay Singh, general secretary, AICC, is likely to make the formal request to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh within a week. He will also discuss with Mr. Pranav Mukarjee, vice president, UPA, in this regards.

Even opposition leaders believe that Congress party has commendable contribution towards Darjeeling hills. It was during the Congress regime in 1973 that the Hill Development Council was formed before the party once again played a pivotal role in setting up the DGHC in 1988. Nepali Language was included within the Schedule VIII of the Constitution largely because PV Narasimha Rao was heading a Congress government at the centre in 1992.

The first SRC was set up in 1955 and when the report was published next year, the demands of hill people were totally discarded in their report. This resulted furore among people of Darjeeling, following which inquiry committee was set up by then Chief Minister of Bengal, B C Roy. The inquiry committee was headed by Kalipada Mukarjee, minister, but it never really served any purpose.

The motive of politicians in the plains is to stop the hills from demanding a separate state. That is why they made Ghisingh sign a memorandum that states the settlement is full and final. Our focus will now be to put the demand before the commission after it is set up, said Madan Tamang, president ABGL.

Meanwhile, the GNLF categorically rejected the issue. Mr. Deepak Gurung, president Darjeeling branch committee, GNLF, said: “The commission is nothing but a drama being enacted by the Congress.”