At a time when a section of Hill based Gorkha leaders have been criticising the BJP leadership over the issue of “Permanent Political Solution” for this region, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista highlighted the need for “Constitutional Solution” for Darjeeling region, in the Parliament today.

“I have requested the Central Government to announce the Constitutional Solution for our region, without any further delay, so that the people from our region too can live a dignified life,” Mr Bista said. “From the National Security perspective too, it is in the interest of our country to keep the “Siliguri Corridor” safe and secure,” he pointed out in the Parliament today.

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“I also informed the Parliament that the safety and security of our region is only possible, when the indigenous people of the region are safe. This is why, the people from Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars are seeking justice, and a ‘Solution under the Constitution of India’, which will ensure governance of the people from our region, for the people of our region, and by the people of our region,” MP added.

He also reminded the Parliament that the Darjeeling Hills, the Terai and the Dooars is the only region in India that shares four international boundary, therefore it is strategically very important. Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars have a special “Administrative History”, and have been governed as Non-regulated Area, Regulated Area, Scheduled District, Backward Tract, Partially Excluded Area and so on.

However, post-Independence, due to the lack of a concrete “Constitutional Body” to govern the area, our region and people have become deprived and discriminated.” “Under the leadership of Prime Minster Narendra Modi, the Central Government has allocated massive financial resources towards the development of our region, however the funds are disappearing before they even reach the grassroots.

Various institutions in our region are shutting down, the most important employment generating sector – the tea industry is shutting down. Lack of employment opportunity is pushing the youths of our region to migrate in large number to bigger cities for their livelihood,” Mr Bista mentioned speaking to the Parliament. According to him, scare ghotalas and corruption by the West Bengal Government and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has resulted in the deprivation of our region, and today we lack even basic infrastructure.

Further, the TMC is indulging in systematic demographic changes in the region for their vote bank, which will pose grave risk to our nation in the coming days. Because of this demographic changes, the indigenous Gorkha, Rajbangshi, Adivasi, Koch, Meche, Toto, Rabha, Bengali, Hindi-bhasi and others are today facing massive threat.

Our language, culture, history, traditions, heritage, and even our future is threatened. When asked to comment Darjeeling MP Raju Bista claimed: “I won’t rest till we ensure the long awaited rights and justice for the people from Darjeeling Hills, the Terai and the Dooars.”