GUWAHATI: The Gorkhas in India fighting for a separate “Gorkhaland” state have got a new friend in Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
He has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah citing the pressing issues being faced by the community in North Bengal and seeking a permanent solution to the problem.
The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP), which is the highest body of the Gorkhas in India, lauded Sangma.
“The BGP welcomes the support extended to the Gorkhaland demand by Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma. In his letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he has batted for a homeland of the Gorkhas and highlighted the contributions made by the Gorkhas in the nation-building process,” BGP leader Nanda Kirati Dewan said.
He said the Gorkhas, whose population is estimated to be around 10.5 million in India, would now have huge expectations from Sangma and his National People Party vis-à-vis the separate homeland demand.
In his recent letter to Shah, Sangma wrote: “Sir, you are aware of the long-pending constitutional demand of the Gorkhas for a separate Gorkhaland state. The Gorkhas have made India their home for a very long period. The contributions of the Gorkhas towards India, their motherland, have been immeasurable and they have made supreme sacrifices in protecting this beloved country”.
The Meghalaya CM made mention of Gorkha freedom fighters Major Durga Malla and Captain Ram Singh Thakuria and India’s Constituent Assembly members Damber Singh Gurung and Ari Bahadur Gurung to underscore the contributions made by Gorkhas to Indian society.
Stating that the Gorkhas too are rightful Indian citizens, who deserve their own identity and “Bas Bhoomi”, and that the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed several landmark decisions in the interests of the people, Sangma urged Shah to consider the “just and legitimate demand” of the Gorkhas and work out a political solution that is both honourable and lasting.