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RETURNING NGADAK GONPA TO ITS ORIGINAL GLORY14 March, 2004; - ONNOW! pg 5 1 Summer Collection Sunday, 14 March, 2004 Vol. 2 No. 39 Gangtok Rs. 3 Air-Conditioned Slippers, sandals & formal/ casual shoes Grocery Shop for Men for Provisional Goods, Dry Fruits & All Hotel Flora sandals, Requirements (for kitchen) flat slippers WHOLE-SALES for ladies RETAIL-SALES at at the most reasonable prices RajdeepRajdeep the shoe shoppe Spectrum Color Lab Building, Near Amar/ Chaman Garage, Sevoke Road, Siliguri MG Marg, Gangtok. ph: 228865 ph: 2640799, 2640599 GORKHA LEAGUE SAYS “NO” TO GRP-D EMPLOYEES FROM THE “PLAINS” AMITAVA BANERJEE DARJEELING, March 13, 2004: The scheduled posting of three Group- D staff from the plains to the Integrated Child Development Scheme Pinki Singh [ICDS] in the Darjeeling Hills has met with heavy criticism and protest from the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League [ABGL] in Darjeeling. Incidentally, one Hriday Kumar Roy from Phansidewa has been posted to Kalimpong-II, Subir Munda from North 24 Parganas to Gorubathan and Prasanta Mondal from South 24 Parganas to Kalimpong-I. “This is a crude joke that the state governemnt has played on us. With the hills reeling under the curse of unemployment, why did they have to a NOW REPORT recruit people from the plains? Don’t the Hill candidates meet even the GANGTOK, 13 March: Following the report on Irate husband says too qualifications required for such posts which do not demand high educa- the plight of Pinki Singh [NOW!, 13 March], the tional qualifications?” questioned an ABGL leader Luxmon Pradhan. authorities at Central Referral Hospital here at 5th The Gorkha League has demanded immediate withdrawal of these Mile Tadong have “suspended” the four nurses who little is coming too late; appointments. In letters to the SDO, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling, were on duty when Pinki’s left thigh was scorched District Programme Officer, ICDS, Darjeeling, ABGL has stated: “You to the third degree as she lay unconscious under their remains adamant to sue are requested to immediately cancel the above appointment letters and care after an operation. The management at Manipal arrange the appointment of local candidates so that the peaceful atmos- has now also agreed to pay for the complete treat- phere of Darjeeling is not disturbed…” Manipal for damages turn to pg 4 turn to pg 3 CONFUSION REIGNS AS TELEPHONE NUMBERS FRENCH TECHNOLOGY HASTENS CHANGE CHANGE. AGAIN - DETAILS ON pg 3 1,500 SUBSCRIBERS WITH PH. NOS BEGINNING ‘22’ NOW HAVE NUMBERS BEGINNING ‘20’ CMYK 2; NOW!; 14 March, 2004 ED-SPACE Hill Council Should Be NOW! In The NEC FIRST WITH THE NEWS he movement for chronic issues, should be magnani- Who’s heard of Positive “Gorkhaland” involving VIEWPOINT mous enough to take a bold politi- T the Darjeeling Hills and ar- cal decision by including the Criticism? eas of the Dooars inhabited by S. RAGHUPATHI Darjeeling hill region in the North Nepali-speaking Gorkhas is now Eastern Council and make some Guideline for the Model Code of Conduct provided by the Elec- almost half a century old. Much problems like the Indo-Pak conflict, real contribution to the all round tion Commission of India, when commenting on General Con- water has flown down the Teesta the Kashmir Issue, normalization of development of Gorkhaland. duct, details that: “criticism of other political parties, when made, since its separation from its moth- relations with China, Myanmar, A composite state of Sikkim shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record erland - the erstwhile kingdom of USA and it is only expected of it to and Darjeeling should also be con- and work. Parties and candidates shall refrain from criticism of Sikkim - and the problem needs to bestow its attention on the chronic sidered with inherent checks and all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities be reviewed afresh by the Centre problem of Gorkhaland issue. guarantees so that the apprehen- of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism of other par- and especially well-wishers of The Gorkha leadership, espe- sions of the peoples of both Sikkim ties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distor- Northeastern region. By the North- cially the youth, should try to make and Darjeeling are fully addressed tion shall be avoided.” east I imply the eight states, in- a positive and constructive contri- about protection of their respective That’s easy enough to understand, but what would an election cluding Sikkim, that have been bution to the movement by de- political, social, economic and em- campaign in India be without the barbs, wit and mudslinging that placed under the North East Coun- manding the inclusion of ployment rights. Intellectuals on makes for this circus that visits our streets every five years. cil so that geographical, racial, Gorkhaland in the North Eastern either side of the border should Bhandari holding his tongue on Chamling or Chamling refraining cultural, linguistic and regional hold seminars/ workshops/ from taking digs at the former CM are situations that would be development can be taken up in “DARJEELING awareness campaigns to dispel boring. Even duller would be Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri going a planned manner. AS A PART OF the ill-founded as well as well- easy on Lall Kothi and its minions. But then, elections are about The younger generation, es- founded fears of the hill people more than just entertainment. While sarcasm is fine till it is used pecially the student community, WEST BENGAL IS before soliciting the good of- to embellish a marathon speech, it becomes vacuous when de- of “Gorkhaland” should take the AN ACCIDENT fices of national leadership. A rision becomes the only content. Such speeches might keep the initiative for immediate inclu- OF HISTORY” composite state of Sikkim and audience engaged while they are being delivered, but leave them sion of Darjeeling Hills and Darjeeling would be more for- with nothing to mull upon once the loudspeakers are switched off. Dooars in the North Eastern Coun- Council and then move towards midable and economically viable. Political parties should reach out with their vision for the next five cil so that it can have the advan- achieving the status of a Union Ter- But this should be one of the op- years and not their complaints about the last five. Since develop- tage of mature and charismatic ritory for the region with the active tions and should not be the only ment remains the demand of the region, every political party in leaders like Pawan Chamling and support and cooperation of the en- option in view of its sensitivity of the fray has to clearly explain how it intends to achieve this. Elec- PA Sangma. tire North Eastern Region so that the issue at hand.. tions are won on the basis of promises and performance and not First of all, there is no justifi- they can graduate steadily towards The Centre was magnanimous criticism and complaints. In Sikkim, as in the neighbouring Hill cation in keeping the Gorkhaland producing a mature and selfless enough to create three new states Council, the Opposition has no performance to speak about and issue pending for such a long time leadership, something in which of Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and highlight. They have remained more of less silent for the past five when it the people of the Darjeeling they seem to have failed miserably Chattisgarh, though the demands years and have only recently started crawling out of the wood- hills are justified in aspiring for a ever since the DGHC was formed . were much younger and there are work armed with their list of allegations against the groups in power. separate state in view of their cul- The nation as a whole should three more new states in the pipe- Such revivalism so close to polls is viewed with suspicion by the tural, linguistic, geographical, eco- be convinced that the Gorkhaland line namely Telangana [AP], masses and everything they have to say is taken with a pinch of nomic and racial distinction from is capable of producing honest and Vidarbha [Maharashtra] and Harith salt. To start and end the campaign with a long list of allegations their present rulers, West Bengal, responsible leadership. Statehood Pradesh [UP]. It is high time that reflects a half-baked strategy. Parties in the Opposition need to which inherited it by an accident for Gorkhaland should be the ulti- the Gorkha leadership made a sin- go the full distance and more. After the allegations, they have to of history when the Chogyal of mate goal and not immediate goal. cere introspection into the causes illustrate how they are going to do things differently. The Con- Sikkim gifted the tract to the erst- Such a transition from DGHC to of their monumental failure to gress in Sikkim cannot say the Chief Minister’s Self Employment while British rulers of India. membership of the North East achieve statehood for Gorkhaland Scheme was flawed and then promise to write-off the loans. It The NDA Government headed Council to Union Territory to sepa- and make suitable amendments in has to come on record with how it is going to make the Scheme by an experienced statesman like rate statehood would be natural and their strategy after scientific evalu- effective. Similarly, the People’s Democratic Front in Darjeeling Atal Behari Vajpayee appears to be convincing. Mr. Vajpayee, who has ation of their movement. cannot end with just saying that Ghising failed the Hills on making sincere and wholehearted been mature and bold enough to -the writer is a Gangtok-based Gorkhaland. They have to explain what they plan to do about it.

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