Gorkha National Liberation Front
Encyclopedia
Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) (Nepali
: गोर्खा राष्ट्रिय मुक्ति मोर्चा) is a political party
in the Darjeeling District
of West Bengal
, India
. It was formed in 1980 by Subhash Ghisingh
with the objective of demanding a Gorkhaland
state within India.
-speaking areas of northern West Bengal
(Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai
). The movement reached its peak around 1985–1986. On 22 August 1988, the GNLF, under Subhash Ghisingh, signed the Darjeeling Hill Accord, which created the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
(DGHC) in exchange for the GNLF giving up its demand for Gorkhaland
.
, Kalimpong
and Kurseong
.
elections. GNLF supported Inderjeet as the Indian National Congress
candidate in 1991, who won the Lok Sabha
elections riding on GNLF support. GNLF boycotted the Lok Sabha elections in 1996, 1998, and 1999, which were won by CPI(M) candidates. Ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the GNLF supported the Congress party candidate Dawa Narbula, who won with a big margin from the Darjeeling constituency. In the 2009 elections, GNLF was out of power in the hills and did not field any candidate or support any party and the Lok Sabha seat was won by Jaswant Singh
of BJP with the support from GJMM.
of ABGL.
, once the trusted aide of Ghising, decided to break away from the GNLF. Riding on a mass support for Prashant Tamang
, an Indian Idol
contestant from Darjeeling, Bimal quickly capitalized on the public support he received for supporting Prashant, and was able to overthrow Ghisingh from the seat of power. Ghising decided to shift residence to Jalpaiguri
and GNLF lost most of its support and cadres to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
, a new party headed by Bimal Gurung
.
, Prakash Dahal from Kalimpong
and Pemu Chettri from Kurseong
lost the elections held on 18 April 2011.
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
: गोर्खा राष्ट्रिय मुक्ति मोर्चा) is a political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the Darjeeling District
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was formed in 1980 by Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh is the leader of Gorkhaland National Liberation Front which he founded in 1980. He was the chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in West Bengal, India from 1988 to 2008...
with the objective of demanding a Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Nepali/Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and the Dooars in north West Bengal....
state within India.
Early history
During the 1980s, the GNLF led an intensive and often violent campaign for the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state in the NepaliNepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
-speaking areas of northern West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
(Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
). The movement reached its peak around 1985–1986. On 22 August 1988, the GNLF, under Subhash Ghisingh, signed the Darjeeling Hill Accord, which created the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council , also once known for a short period of time as Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council , is a semi-autonomous body that looks after the administration of the Darjeeling District in the state of West Bengal, India...
(DGHC) in exchange for the GNLF giving up its demand for Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Nepali/Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and the Dooars in north West Bengal....
.
State assembly
GNLF boycotted the West Bengal state assembly elections in 1991. In the assembly elections in 1996, 2001, and 2006, GNLF won three assembly seats, one each from DarjeelingDarjeeling (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Darjeeling is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
, Kalimpong
Kalimpong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Kalimpong is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
and Kurseong
Kurseong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Kurseong is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
.
Lok Sabha
In 1989, GNLF candidate Inderjeet Khuller, a former journalist covering the Gorkhaland agitation and a close friend of Subhash Ghisingh, won the Darjeeling (Lok Sabha constituency)Darjeeling (Lok Sabha Constituency)
Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Darjeeling in West Bengal.-Election results:-1951-1971:The winners are shown below. -1977-2004:-See also:...
elections. GNLF supported Inderjeet as the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
candidate in 1991, who won the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
elections riding on GNLF support. GNLF boycotted the Lok Sabha elections in 1996, 1998, and 1999, which were won by CPI(M) candidates. Ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the GNLF supported the Congress party candidate Dawa Narbula, who won with a big margin from the Darjeeling constituency. In the 2009 elections, GNLF was out of power in the hills and did not field any candidate or support any party and the Lok Sabha seat was won by Jaswant Singh
Jaswant Singh
- Career :He is one of the few Indian politicians to have been the Minister for Defence, Finance and External Affairs.He started the new government of Vajpayee, which lasted its full term, as the External Affairs Minister and later on switched his ministry to Finance with Yashwant Sinha...
of BJP with the support from GJMM.
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
The GNLF administered the DGHC with Subhash Ghisingh as the chairman of the council from 1988 to 2004 for three successive terms. Subhash Ghisingh was appointed the sole caretaker of the DGHC from 2005 to 2008 as no election for the DGHC was held.Sixth Schedule
A Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was signed between the Central Government, the State Government and the GNLF for the establishment of a Sixth Schedule tribal council called the Gorkha Hill Council in the DGHC area on 6 December 2005. After some initial support, there was widespread opposition to the Sixth Schedule council, led by leaders like Madan TamangMadan Tamang
Madan Tamang was an Indian politician of Nepali descent, a Gorkha leader, and the president of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League , a moderate faction of the Gorkhaland movement...
of ABGL.
Downfall
The DGHC elections were due in 2004. However, the government decided not to hold elections and instead made Subhash Ghisingh the sole caretaker of the DGHC till the Sixth Schedule council was established. Resentment among the former councillors of DGHC grew rapidly. Among them, Bimal GurungBimal Gurung
Bimal Gurung is the leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha , a party that is demanding the formation of a Gorkhaland state in India.-DGHC:...
, once the trusted aide of Ghising, decided to break away from the GNLF. Riding on a mass support for Prashant Tamang
Prashant Tamang
Prashant Tamang is a Darjeeling-based singer and actor. He was the winner of Indian Idol Season 3 in 2007. He is the first Indian from Nepali community to make it to the final rounds of Indian Idol and win it...
, an Indian Idol
Indian Idol
Indian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...
contestant from Darjeeling, Bimal quickly capitalized on the public support he received for supporting Prashant, and was able to overthrow Ghisingh from the seat of power. Ghising decided to shift residence to Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Jalpaiguri district, and the divisional headquarters of the North Bengal region.-History:...
and GNLF lost most of its support and cadres to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is a registered political party which campaigns for the creation of a separate state within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal...
, a new party headed by Bimal Gurung
Bimal Gurung
Bimal Gurung is the leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha , a party that is demanding the formation of a Gorkhaland state in India.-DGHC:...
.
West Bengal assembly elections 2011
After lying in political hibernation for three years, GNLF chief Subhash Ghisingh announced that his party would contest the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections 2011. Subhash Ghisingh returned to Darjeeling on 8 April 2011 ahead of the assembly elections after three years of "exile". All the three GNLF candidates, Bhim Subba from DarjeelingDarjeeling (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Darjeeling is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
, Prakash Dahal from Kalimpong
Kalimpong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Kalimpong is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
and Pemu Chettri from Kurseong
Kurseong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Kurseong is an assembly constituency in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No...
lost the elections held on 18 April 2011.