May Day has just passed. I remember how tensed this day used to be in Darjeeling during early 90s. If any two colours couldn’t blend in the hills after a spell of violent Gorkhaland agitation of 1986, it was RED and GREEN. Needless to say, Green signified Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and Red the colour for Communist Party (CPIM). I have some faint memories how CPIM would organise mass rallies motivating hundreds of people from impoverished tea estates and other areas to come up on the street. That part was OK, but not this part: the geographical difference between areas of GNLF and CPIM stronghold was matter of just a few hills or valleys or sometimes just a few hundred odd tea bushes. Given the temperament of our people, the violence was inevitable when differences were so close. During showdowns, as a kid all I sensed was fear. Perhaps, the fears of loosing someone close. Such was the level of apprehension; even cawing of a crow would sound like a cry of ‘murdabad’. I’m not kidding!The Gorkhaland standoff has been droned though such a long time that by now, I imagine even distant Obama (or anyone with high GK for that matter) must have already heard something about: hapless Gorkhas in small part of West Bengal, which is in India, are demanding for a separate state within India for last several decades. Personally, I don’t understand what’s wrong with it. What’s wrong in having smaller states that address federal nature of Indian constitution?
In a layman’s scale, if Switzerland is dot of this ‘i’, then India would be roughly the size of this ‘O’. Even so tiny country like Swiss has 26 states called cantons for administrative simplicity. It makes me wonder why some political parties in a big and diverse country like ours are hell-bent against its own citizen to restrict the figure to 28 states and 7 union territories. Sounds like another fevicol ad to me!Several decades after, or put it this way-after 1200 plus deaths (still counting), ruling CPIM hasn’t changed the mind. Gorkhas uncompromisingly want a separate state within framework of India constitution, ruling CPIM in West Bengal vehemently opposes it calling ‘separatist’. Isn’t it a classic case of deadlock? Or should I say, two bulldozers trying to force their way through, gently?
In the mean time, Bharatiya Janta Parti (BJP) received heavy criticism from left front for coming up in ‘support’ of Gorkhaland and Kamtapur states. Even though some of the “4th-pillar-gone-slanted” news papers published the reports of BJP “clearing the Gorkhaland air”, there are confirmed reports of Hema Malini (BJP campaigner for Jaswant Singh) publicly announcing in Darjeeling, “Chal Dhanno! Aaj teri Basanti ki izzat ka sawal hai, aaj Jaswant Singh ko jitana hai aur Gorkhaland banana hai” making the crowd break into thunderous applause. Little wonder Lotus has become another favourite flower in the land of marigold, so much for the 100 year old emotional demand of Gorkhaland.Today as people back home wait for the election results with fingers crossed, I fail to conjecture what CPIM government would do with Gorkhas and Gorkhaland movement. Suppress (read as CRPF), bypass (read as sixth schedule) or accept it? And what would be the BJPs stance after the election result? Will they firmly keep the promise or will they just ‘consider’? And what about the Congress and their helping hands? Not to forget veterans: Subash Ghising and Madan Tamang either.
It is just way too complicated to make a guess at this juncture. I bet cosmic science predictions are much easier than this with those powerful telescopes. I read recently: if someone struck a match on the moon, we could predict the flare on earth, such is the precision. But, partisan politics in West Bengal is something of a mirage, what we discern may not be what it is.
But still hope is all we have!

Note: Thanks to labour’s day holiday, I got some time to put my voice across! This one’s dedicated to all the daily wage workers of tea gardens around the hills and plains.
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http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Opinions/Hope-is-all-we-have.html