The star campaigner and the president of the BJP started his speech with a very careful note by paying respect to the late leader of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) Sri Subash Ghisisng at Kalimpong. He highlighted his contribution and struggle for the recognition of various ethnic communities as a scheduled tribe. Shah then started attacking the Chief Minister, Ms. Banerjee for using the state agencies against the Gorkhaland activists and other rebels. Listening to his accusation against Ms. Banerjee, the public rose with a thundering sloganeering like “Jai Gorkha“.
However, during the 2017 Gorkhaland agitation Shah did not speak a word in favor of the separate state of Gorkhaland and fighting for which those activists were booked. He went on to promise that Gorkhas who were booked by TMC govt will get justice.
The ST status for 11 Gorkha communities was again raised yesterday. The same has been written in the BJP’s 2019 manifesto. It was first promised by PM Modi in April 2016 at Madarihat, North Bengal. In April 2016, the committee to evaluate the eligibility of 11 Gorkha communities for tribal status was first headed by Ashok Pai, a joint secretary. Due to the transfer issue, the committee was later headed by another officer, Vishu Maini in Nov 2016. An order of Nov 2018, issued by undersecretary to GOI says, ‘due to the transfer of Ms. Maini, the committee would now be headed by another Joint Secretary’. This committee was supposed to submit their report by December 2016.
The controversy of this ST status started from mid-2018 when there were an unusual delay and the subsequent RTI filed by the member of Jan Andolan Party (JAP). It is also reported that the West Bengal government has already recommended the ST status for those 11 communities. Therefore the question is whether it really is about bureaucratic hurdle or the lack of political will? Since the union cabinet approved Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities of Assam and modified the list of Scheduled Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh on Jan 8, 2019.
Before pitching for the Citizenship amendment bill (CAB) 2016, he praised the bravery of the Gorkha community and the valor of the Gorkha soldiers. Shah reassured that Gorkhas (Buddhist and Hindus) will not face any problems due to NRC and accused Ms. Banerjee of tagging Gorkhas as a foreigner. She was accused of sympathizing the illegal infiltrators and the cow smugglers. He mocked on the opposition’s disunity and pointed out the fight between Congress, TMC and the left.
The national schemes like UDAN connecting Siliguri with Pakyong, Ayushmann Bharat, a medical insurance scheme of up-to five lakh rupees and Shram Yogi Maan Dhan Yojna was mentioned through which people above 60 years are eligible to get Rs 3000 per month. During demonetization, the tea workers felt the heat of the cash crunch. Since Darjeeling is in the tea belt region, Amit Shah praised the work of Assam BJP Govt and claimed that they have deposited Rs 2500 in the seven lakh tea worker’s bank accounts which was the second installment of the Rs 5000 incentives approved by the Assam Govt in Jan 2019.
Another scheme of Assam Govt like maternity benefit of Rs 12000 given to the tea workers was mentioned. However, he didn’t say anything about the non-implementation of Minimum wage in Assam. The tea laborers in Assam get between Rs 137-167 and the wage in Bengal is Rs 176. Shah also said that if BJP was in Govt in Bengal, they would have set the committee for Minimum wage whose report would be implemented within three months. Ironically Minimum wage advisory committee formed in 2017 made the recommendation of Rs 351 as daily Minimum wage which still has not been implemented by Assam Govt.
The usual accusation by Shah on the murders of BJP workers by the TMC goons and Mamata Banerjee having soft approach on the alleged anti-National elements slowly caught the polarizing issues like Durga bisargan and impediments for the celebration of Ram Navami. As pointed out by Javed Akhtar, “though Bengal under left became debt trapped but didn’t see any communal violence then“. However, he didn’t elaborate if that is because of the left rule or due to absence of BJP. Instantly after religious issues, Shah linked Mamata with Abdullah’s of Kashmir and portrayed her as one who favors Kashmir’s separation from India. Naturally, Pulwama and Balakot incidents were in the queue and he narrated how under the leadership of PM Modi the national security will not be compromised. Doklam made it in the last minutes. He also advocated for the abolition of article 370 which gives special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Amit Shah’s speech in large was focused on national issues and national schemes. He couldn’t singularly point out what his Government has done for the Gorkhas in the past five years. He just reiterated what was promised to Gorkhas before 2016 Bengal assembly election.