<p>Galyna Lekunova, a veterinarian in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, was left fuming by a new law in January mandating the use of Ukrainian in the service industry.</p>

<p>In protest against the regulations that she said amounted to "discrimination," the 47-year-old began offering 50-per cent discounts to her Russian-speaking clients.</p>

<p>This is what she believes spurred the perpetrators of a graffiti attack on her clinic, which was defaced in late January with scrawls of black coffins and a warning of "Death to the enemies".</p>

<p>One month later, the paint was still visible on a poster of a puppy advertising her services in Russian in the industrial port city on the Sea of Azov.</p>

<p>"If I work, pay my employees' salaries and my taxes, it's none of your damn business which language I do it in," Lekunova, wearing a floral-patterned apron, told AFP.</p>

<p>The incident in Mariupol, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front line of Ukraine's war with separatists backed by Moscow, reflects a deeply-felt language divide in the ex-Soviet country of 40 million people.</p>

<p>Lawmakers in 2019 passed legislation to cement Ukrainian as the country's primary language, ordering middle schools that taught in Russian and other minority languages to make the switch and mandating Ukrainian versions of online stores.</p>

<p>An article of the laws that entered into force in January goes further, obliging shops, restaurants and the service industry to engage customers in Ukrainian unless clients specifically ask to switch.</p>

<p>Anyone caught violating the new legislation twice within one year could be fined 200 euros ($235), almost half of the average salary in the country. No one has been penalised so far.</p>

<p>Officials in Kiev say the initiative aims to revitalise a national language that was subjugated first during the Russian Empire and then in Soviet times.</p>

<p><strong>- 'Resentment and fear' -</strong></p>

<p>Moscow, which routinely accuses Kiev of perpetuating "Russophobia" and stalling peace efforts in the east, condemned the language laws in January.</p>

<p>The foreign ministry said Kiev was instilling an "atmosphere of resentment and fear" and destroying the country's "unique multicultural space".</p>

<p>But for Kiev, the new laws are part of a broader push to shore up its own national identity that started after the Soviet collapse.</p>

<p>It was an initiative that gained momentum after 2014, when Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed separatists in the east, justifying its intervention by citing the need to protect Russian speakers.</p>

<p>The legislation has found favour with some 62 percent of Ukrainians -- most of whom are bilingual -- according to a recent poll, with 34 percent against.</p>

<p>"This law will encourage a more active use of Ukrainian language and that is what we need," said Sergiy Gusovsky, the owner of four prominent restaurants in Ukraine's capital.</p>

<p>"It's a natural process after 2014. Kiev was very 'Russified', so there's an element of overcoming a historical obstacle," he told AFP.</p>

<p>But Gusovsky said the shift should be "gentle".</p>

<p>"Any approach that isn't careful will spark a backlash."</p>

<p>- Government differences -</p>

<p>Between checkups with household pets, Lekunova, in Mariupol, said, however, that if fines were imposed she would consider moving to Russia.</p>

<p>The new laws are also exposing divisions within government.</p>

<p>Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko in February suggested postponing fines and rolling out a Ukrainian language learning programme instead.</p>

<p>But Ukraine's Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Taras Kremin, countered that "the service sector already had a year and a half to prepare" before laws entered into force.</p>

<p>But he also noted that there had not yet been repeat complaints and that issues reported so far had been resolved without conflict.</p>

<p>For Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, the solution is prioritising another language.</p>

<p>"Our youth's proficiency in English is a guarantee of our country's independence," he said at a recent conference.</p>


Galyna Lekunova, a veterinarian in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, was left fuming by a new law in January mandating the use of Ukrainian in the service industry.

Galyna Lekunova, a veterinarian in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, was left fuming by a new law in January mandating the use of Ukrainian in the service industry. In protest against the regulations that she said amounted to "discrimination," the 47-year-old began offering 50-per cent discounts to her Russian-speaking clients. This is what she believes spurred the perpetrators of a graffiti attack on her clinic, which was defaced in late January with scrawls of black coffins and a warning of "Death to the enemies". One month later, the paint was still visible on a poster of a puppy advertising her services in Russian in the industrial port city on the Sea of Azov. "If I work, pay my employees' salaries and my taxes, it's none of your damn business which language I do it in," Lekunova, wearing a floral-patterned apron, told AFP. The incident in Mariupol, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front line of Ukraine's war with separatists backed by Moscow, reflects a deeply-felt language divide in the ex-Soviet country of 40 million people. Lawmakers in 2019 passed legislation to cement Ukrainian as the country's primary language, ordering middle schools that taught in Russian and other minority languages to make the switch and mandating Ukrainian versions of online stores. An article of the laws that entered into force in January goes further, obliging shops, restaurants and the service industry to engage customers in Ukrainian unless clients specifically ask to switch. Anyone caught violating the new legislation twice within one year could be fined 200 euros ($235), almost half of the average salary in the country. No one has been penalised so far. Officials in Kiev say the initiative aims to revitalise a national language that was subjugated first during the Russian Empire and then in Soviet times. - 'Resentment and fear' - Moscow, which routinely accuses Kiev of perpetuating "Russophobia" and stalling peace efforts in the east, condemned the language laws in January. The foreign ministry said Kiev was instilling an "atmosphere of resentment and fear" and destroying the country's "unique multicultural space". But for Kiev, the new laws are part of a broader push to shore up its own national identity that started after the Soviet collapse. It was an initiative that gained momentum after 2014, when Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed separatists in the east, justifying its intervention by citing the need to protect Russian speakers. The legislation has found favour with some 62 percent of Ukrainians -- most of whom are bilingual -- according to a recent poll, with 34 percent against. "This law will encourage a more active use of Ukrainian language and that is what we need," said Sergiy Gusovsky, the owner of four prominent restaurants in Ukraine's capital. "It's a natural process after 2014. Kiev was very 'Russified', so there's an element of overcoming a historical obstacle," he told AFP. But Gusovsky said the shift should be "gentle". "Any approach that isn't careful will spark a backlash." - Government differences - Between checkups with household pets, Lekunova, in Mariupol, said, however, that if fines were imposed she would consider moving to Russia. The new laws are also exposing divisions within government. Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko in February suggested postponing fines and rolling out a Ukrainian language learning programme instead. But Ukraine's Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Taras Kremin, countered that "the service sector already had a year and a half to prepare" before laws entered into force. But he also noted that there had not yet been repeat complaints and that issues reported so far had been resolved without conflict. For Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, the solution is prioritising another language. "Our youth's proficiency in English is a guarantee of our country's independence," he said at a recent conference.

New law stokes Ukraine language tensions

<p>A cafe in Islamabad, Pakistan has faced the wrath of the internet for cracking a joke on an employee which they thought was funny, but the internet disagreed.</p>

<p>Owner of Cannolis cafe in Islamabad was recorded making fun of one of her employees for not being able to speak English fluently. The video of the owner mocking the employee went viral, but for all the wrong reasons.</p>

<p>When netizens saw the video, they took to Twitter to highlight the elitist attitude and thought process of the owner and called her out for mocking a person for not being able to speak a language which is not even his first language.</p>

<p>In the video, the employee claims he has studied English for a few years but is unable to converse in the language, for which the two women mock him.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Khalil ur Rehman Qamar's vision of 2 takay ki aurat right there <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottCannoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottCannoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/M7ZQp6n0Nb">pic.twitter.com/M7ZQp6n0Nb</a></p>
— Uman Malik (@U_3322) <a href="https://twitter.com/U_3322/status/1352128244888330242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>After his video went viral, '#BoycottCannoli' and '#BoycottCannoliIslamabad 'started trending on Twitter, and users called the two women out for their 'shallow' behaviour.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shameful so called joke by these 2 so called educated ladies suffering from severe superiority complex. I never want to go to their restaurant &amp; I <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottCannoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottCannoli</a> for sure <a href="https://t.co/lcapRZSkTK">pic.twitter.com/lcapRZSkTK</a></p>
— Mishi Khan @molly (@MishiKhanmolly1) <a href="https://twitter.com/MishiKhanmolly1/status/1352300128590303232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Your English doesn't decide whether you do something or not.<br />
You both are sickening.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottCannoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottCannoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/PMXYNErsW4">pic.twitter.com/PMXYNErsW4</a></p>
— ثناءجاوید (@SANAJAVED205) <a href="https://twitter.com/SANAJAVED205/status/1352298813843714049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">One word for these Shakespeare's illegitimate Children!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottCannoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottCannoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/3kv9zBO9vw">pic.twitter.com/3kv9zBO9vw</a></p>
— Showbiz &amp; News (@ShowbizAndNewz) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShowbizAndNewz/status/1352279969171460099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>Many users also hoped that they employe gets a job at a place with better bosses.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Insha'Allah brother you will be offer soon by a well reputed restaurant as a manager. Love and respect for you dear brother ❤️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottCannoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottCannoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/5IvSfxwFda">pic.twitter.com/5IvSfxwFda</a></p>
— Sayed Muhammad (@SayedMu59130928) <a href="https://twitter.com/SayedMu59130928/status/1352283989306974222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>It was also reported that some employers have also offered him a place at their company.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, has <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Offered?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Offered</a> the Viral Cannoli by Cafe Soul's Manager a Post in his Company. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottCannoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottCannoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CafeSoul?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CafeSoul</a> <a href="https://t.co/g76YMoUmVV">pic.twitter.com/g76YMoUmVV</a></p>
— Architect Mubashir Tahir (@ArchitectMubas2) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArchitectMubas2/status/1352302114647715843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>In response to this video, a social worker and Instagram star, Shaniera Akram, — who is based in Pakistan — challenged the two women to an English-speaking competition.</p>

<p>Later, the owners of the cafe dismissed these accusations and instead accused the social media users of taking a normal, friendly banter and turning it into an issue. "We are not required to prove or defend ourselves as kind employers. Our team has been with us for a decade, that should speak for itself," the cafe owners said in a social media post.&nbsp;</p>


A cafe in Islamabad, Pakistan has faced the wrath of the internet for cracking a joke on an employee which they thought was funny, but the internet disagreed. Owner of Cannolis cafe in Islamabad was recorded making fun of one of her employees for not being able to speak English fluently.

A cafe in Islamabad, Pakistan has faced the wrath of the internet for cracking a joke on an employee which they thought was funny, but the internet disagreed. Owner of Cannolis cafe in Islamabad was recorded making fun of one of her employees for not being able to speak English fluently. The video of the owner mocking the employee went viral, but for all the wrong reasons. When netizens saw the video, they took to Twitter to highlight the elitist attitude and thought process of the owner and called her out for mocking a person for not being able to speak a language which is not even his first language. In the video, the employee claims he has studied English for a few years but is unable to converse in the language, for which the two women mock him. Khalil ur Rehman Qamar's vision of 2 takay ki aurat right there #BoycottCannoli pic.twitter.com/M7ZQp6n0Nb — Uman Malik (@U_3322) January 21, 2021 × After his video went viral, '#BoycottCannoli' and '#BoycottCannoliIslamabad 'started trending on Twitter, and users called the two women out for their 'shallow' behaviour. Shameful so called joke by these 2 so called educated ladies suffering from severe superiority complex. I never want to go to their restaurant & I #BoycottCannoli for sure pic.twitter.com/lcapRZSkTK — Mishi Khan @molly (@MishiKhanmolly1) January 21, 2021 × Your English doesn't decide whether you do something or not. You both are sickening.#BoycottCannoli pic.twitter.com/PMXYNErsW4 — ثناءجاوید (@SANAJAVED205) January 21, 2021 × One word for these Shakespeare's illegitimate Children!#BoycottCannoli pic.twitter.com/3kv9zBO9vw — Showbiz & News (@ShowbizAndNewz) January 21, 2021 × Many users also hoped that they employe gets a job at a place with better bosses. Insha'Allah brother you will be offer soon by a well reputed restaurant as a manager. Love and respect for you dear brother ❤️#BoycottCannoli pic.twitter.com/5IvSfxwFda — Sayed Muhammad (@SayedMu59130928) January 21, 2021 × It was also reported that some employers have also offered him a place at their company. Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, has #Offered the Viral Cannoli by Cafe Soul's Manager a Post in his Company. #BoycottCannoli #CafeSoul pic.twitter.com/g76YMoUmVV — Architect Mubashir Tahir (@ArchitectMubas2) January 21, 2021 × In response to this video, a social worker and Instagram star, Shaniera Akram, — who is based in Pakistan — challenged the two women to an English-speaking competition. Later, the owners of the cafe dismissed these accusations and instead accused the social media users of taking a normal, friendly banter and turning it into an issue. "We are not required to prove or defend ourselves as kind employers. Our team has been with us for a decade, that should speak for itself," the cafe owners said in a social media post.

Pakistan: #BoycottCannoli trends on Twitter after owners mock employee for bad English

<p>Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said the solution to the three-language formula is not by abandoning the idea but ensure its better implementation.</p>

<p>"The solution is not to abandon the three languages formula but to implement it in a better manner," said Tharoor when asked to comment on the new draft policy of National Education, which recommends among other things three languages formula in schools.</p>

<p>Tharoor said that the three-language formula goes back to mid-1960s but it was never properly implemented.</p>

<p>"Most of us in the South learn Hindi as a second language but nobody in the North is learning Malayalam or Tamil," he said.</p>

<p>In the draft National Education Policy 2019, the three-language formula recommends inclusion of English and Hindi besides mother tongue in non-Hindi speaking states, while Hindi speaking states should include English and one Indian language from other parts of the country.</p>

<p>When asked about the guests who were aggressively turned away by Pakistani security officials from an 'Iftar'&nbsp;party hosted by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Tharoor said, "I am sorry. I was not aware of that incident. Unfortunately, the relationship between India and Pakistan is really in a bad shape. It's in a trough."</p>

<p>"The new government really needs to do a thorough review of our Pakistan policy and decide in what ways and how they will pursue the matter. As you know the Pakistani government was not among the one invited for the Prime Minister's swearing-in unlike 2014, so the question that comes up is whether we are going to allow a negative feeling on both sides or whether some serious efforts have to be made to change this relationship," he said.</p>

<p>On being asked about the US withdrawing preferential trade agreement with India, Tharoor said, "The US policy on trade has become much tougher or shall we see less generous than it used to be. Not only India, even with China the US is at a trade war at the moment and other countries are facing the brunt as well."</p>

<p>"I leave to our competent negotiators to figure out what kind of solution is possible. I am told that there are about 11,000 goods we sell to the US and more than 5,000 will be affected by the new tariffs that will hurt our economy, our exporters and businesses. It is in our interest to find some sort of compromising formula at least for the majority of these items," he added.</p>

<p>Replying about his visit to his constituency after the Lok Sabha poll victory, Tharoor said, "It is a lovely Kerala tradition where we do 'thank you'&nbsp;parade and tour the constituency. I will be spending one day in every assembly constituency meeting the people and thanking them for their support."</p>


Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said the solution to the three-language formula is not by abandoning the idea but ensure its better implementation.

Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said the solution to the three-language formula is not by abandoning the idea but ensure its better implementation. "The solution is not to abandon the three languages formula but to implement it in a better manner," said Tharoor when asked to comment on the new draft policy of National Education, which recommends among other things three languages formula in schools. Tharoor said that the three-language formula goes back to mid-1960s but it was never properly implemented. "Most of us in the South learn Hindi as a second language but nobody in the North is learning Malayalam or Tamil," he said. In the draft National Education Policy 2019, the three-language formula recommends inclusion of English and Hindi besides mother tongue in non-Hindi speaking states, while Hindi speaking states should include English and one Indian language from other parts of the country. When asked about the guests who were aggressively turned away by Pakistani security officials from an 'Iftar' party hosted by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Tharoor said, "I am sorry. I was not aware of that incident. Unfortunately, the relationship between India and Pakistan is really in a bad shape. It's in a trough." "The new government really needs to do a thorough review of our Pakistan policy and decide in what ways and how they will pursue the matter. As you know the Pakistani government was not among the one invited for the Prime Minister's swearing-in unlike 2014, so the question that comes up is whether we are going to allow a negative feeling on both sides or whether some serious efforts have to be made to change this relationship," he said. On being asked about the US withdrawing preferential trade agreement with India, Tharoor said, "The US policy on trade has become much tougher or shall we see less generous than it used to be. Not only India, even with China the US is at a trade war at the moment and other countries are facing the brunt as well." "I leave to our competent negotiators to figure out what kind of solution is possible. I am told that there are about 11,000 goods we sell to the US and more than 5,000 will be affected by the new tariffs that will hurt our economy, our exporters and businesses. It is in our interest to find some sort of compromising formula at least for the majority of these items," he added. Replying about his visit to his constituency after the Lok Sabha poll victory, Tharoor said, "It is a lovely Kerala tradition where we do 'thank you' parade and tour the constituency. I will be spending one day in every assembly constituency meeting the people and thanking them for their support."

Solution to three languages formula lies in its better implementation: Shashi Tharoor on centre's draft education plan

<p>Back in 2008 when Darjeeling hills were witnessing a fresh wave of unrest and violence after the first phase of Gorkhaland movement in 1986-88, I was asked during a TV discussion why the Indian government allowed the Nepalis to remain in Darjeeling even after so many years of independence. Obviously, the caller who asked the question had not an iota of doubt about the status of Nepalis as &#39;foreign nationals&#39;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Actually, this branding of Nepalis as foreigners goes further back. The Government of Meghalaya detected as many as 6,683 Nepalis as &lsquo;foreigners&rsquo; and expelled some 6,481 of them from the state. As hundreds of Nepalis were hounded out of Meghalaya, Assam and a few other northeastern states, particularly in the early 1980s, many of them made their way to Darjeeling.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although the flight of the Nepalis from several Northeastern states served as the immediate trigger, &ldquo;the first recorded instance of the demand for separation of Darjeeling region from Bengal&rdquo;, according to Duytis Chakrabarti of North Bengal University, &ldquo;can be traced to the year 1907, barely forty years after the formation of the district of Darjeeling.&rdquo; This demand for &#39;separation&#39; also routinely articulated in subsequent years could hardly be understood as one for statehood whether within India or without. It was Pranta Parsihad formed in 1980 that for the first time raised the demand for separate Gorkhaland within the Indian Union. Gorkhaland movement, however, started gathering steam since 1980. The first successful mass mobilisations, however, started only since 1986 under the leadership of Subash Ghising of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).</p>

<p>The Gorkhaland movement (in its earlier two phases of 1986-1988 and 2007-2011) aptly sums up the desperation of many of the people living there who, in their own perception, have been facing the threat of being reclassified as &lsquo;foreigners&rsquo; in what they rightly consider as their own land. While Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was formed in 1988 and functioned for 21 years before it came to an end, Gorkha Territorial Administration came into being in 2012, ending the two phases of the movement.</p>

<p>The desperation, however, refuses to go and has by and large shaped the template of current Gorkhaland politics. While the Nepalis of Indian origin want to be identified as &#39;Gorkhas&#39; in a bid to differentiate themselves from the &#39;Nepalis of Nepal&#39;, their subsequent attempt at identifying themselves as &#39;Tribes&#39; was basically meant to secure &#39;Sixth Schedule status&#39; for the Darjeeling hills. Getting recognised as a &quot;Tribe&quot; would have allowed the Gorkhas to institute an Autonomous District Council. &nbsp;</p>

<p>While the Nepalis of Darjeeling are still groping for their identity as Indian citizens, and language was never far from their imagination, the current linguistic turn of the movement is likely to add a new direction to the Gorkhaland movement. If the words of Bimal Gurung &ndash; the supremo of Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha - are to be believed, they will from now on settle for nothing short of the &ldquo;single-point agenda&rdquo; of Gorkhaland.</p>

<p><strong>The Linguistic Turn</strong></p>

<p>Only recently the Government of West Bengal declared Bengali as a mandatory subject for all students till Class X in all schools within the state, irrespective of their Board affiliations. Partha Chatterjee, the minister of education, is reported to have announced: &ldquo;The students have to choose three languages from a pool of Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Nepali, Santhali and English, out of which one has to be Bengali irrespective of the mother tongue of the student. The non-Bengali medium schools have to make arrangements to impart education in Bengali.&rdquo; (emphasis ours). The chief minister has clarified in social media that while the three-language formula will be the means of &#39;giving the regional language its importance&#39;, a student will have the freedom of choosing Bengali as either first or second or even third language. Initial remarks coming from the official sources did not refer to any exemption. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) immediately organised a rally against making Bengali compulsory in the school curriculum.</p>

<p>The chief minister subsequently clarified that the government had no plan of forcing students of Darjeeling within the GTA jurisdiction to read Bengali in schools, but mentioned that learning Bengali would help them secure jobs in future. GJM&#39;s students&#39; wing described the announcement as &ldquo;infringement on the Nepali language&rdquo; and &ldquo;forced imposition of Bengali&rdquo; on their community. It is yet to be seen whether the linguistic turn sparks off yet another phase of the Gorkhaland movement.</p>

<p><strong>Institutionalising Militancy</strong></p>

<p>Darjeeling&#39;s Bhanu Bhawan &ndash; the headquarters of Gorkha Territorial Administration &ndash; witnessed one of the worst ever confrontations between the irate mob and the police on 8 June 2017 in which about 60 policemen were injured.</p>

<p>According to a section of the press, the site turned into a &ldquo;fortress&rdquo; with about 1000 cadres of Gorkhaland Liberation Front (GLF) and Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) armed with stones, catapults, bottles, and other inflammable substances. GLF &ndash; a militant outfit formed in 2004 came to surface only in 2014 when intelligence agencies arrested Umesh Karmi &ndash; a driver of Bimal Gurung - with a huge cache of arms. GLP was banned by the Central Government in 2013.<br />
In a sense, the militancy of this nature is immanent in the way autonomous bodies like Gorkha Territorial Administration or its earlier avatar Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council function.&nbsp;</p>

<p>To understand this recent outburst of violence, we need to understand the recent status of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the hills. While the ruling Trinamool Congress is making a strong headway in the hills, dissension has gripped the ranks of GJM with a few leaders forming their own political parties in the hills. In the recent municipal elections, TMC has won the Mirik municipality out of three municipal corporations while allegations of financial malpractices pile up again GTA. Under the circumstance, the Janmukti Morcha is in need of salvaging its otherwise thinning popularity and out-competing other ethnic organisations by stepping up its militant campaign.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Interestingly, it is only now, in the 59th month of its 60-month long tenure, that the GJM leadership has come to realise that the GTA has limited power and financial resources. The realisation has come pretty late and, more importantly, crucially timed with the GTA elections coming up in the near future. &nbsp;But the course of events should not particularly surprise most observers of Indian politics as more often than not, militancy and formal institutional politics are closely entwined in India.</p>

<p><strong>The Language of Rule</strong></p>

<p>In a recent interview, Bimal Gurung declares himself as &#39;the chief minister&#39; of the hills as much as Ms Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister of &ldquo;Bengal&rdquo;. Gurung argues that if the latter&#39;s jabardasti (forcefulness) could extend over &#39;Bengal&#39;, his jabardasti will extend over the hills. When jabardasti becomes the name of the game, it threatens to nullify politics of dissent &ndash; the very heart of democracy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The situation worsened with the wildcat strike of 9 June that threw public life out of gear. The chief minister refused to leave the troubled city and personally supervised the evacuation of the tourists &ndash; a large bulk of whom happens to be Bengalis. A medium-ranking TMC leader from the foothills threatened to flood the hills with his 100,000 followers if the call ever comes from his leader. While her absolutely well-intentioned act made her immensely popular in the plains, care should be taken to stop the action from being represented in the hills. Because any such misunderstand would further harden the hills-plains divide. Besides, the chief minister has appealed to the masses to continue keeping faith in her as their &quot;didi&quot; (elder sister) but as Swaraj Thapa, another GJM leader, puts it, &#39;we were younger brothers, but we too have grown up and want to establish our separate home.&quot;</p>


The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is stepping up its militant campaign to salvage its waning popularity

Back in 2008 when Darjeeling hills were witnessing a fresh wave of unrest and violence after the first phase of Gorkhaland movement in 1986-88, I was asked during a TV discussion why the Indian government allowed the Nepalis to remain in Darjeeling even after so many years of independence. Obviously, the caller who asked the question had not an iota of doubt about the status of Nepalis as 'foreign nationals'. Actually, this branding of Nepalis as foreigners goes further back. The Government of Meghalaya detected as many as 6,683 Nepalis as ‘foreigners’ and expelled some 6,481 of them from the state. As hundreds of Nepalis were hounded out of Meghalaya, Assam and a few other northeastern states, particularly in the early 1980s, many of them made their way to Darjeeling. Although the flight of the Nepalis from several Northeastern states served as the immediate trigger, “the first recorded instance of the demand for separation of Darjeeling region from Bengal”, according to Duytis Chakrabarti of North Bengal University, “can be traced to the year 1907, barely forty years after the formation of the district of Darjeeling.” This demand for 'separation' also routinely articulated in subsequent years could hardly be understood as one for statehood whether within India or without. It was Pranta Parsihad formed in 1980 that for the first time raised the demand for separate Gorkhaland within the Indian Union. Gorkhaland movement, however, started gathering steam since 1980. The first successful mass mobilisations, however, started only since 1986 under the leadership of Subash Ghising of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). The Gorkhaland movement (in its earlier two phases of 1986-1988 and 2007-2011) aptly sums up the desperation of many of the people living there who, in their own perception, have been facing the threat of being reclassified as ‘foreigners’ in what they rightly consider as their own land. While Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was formed in 1988 and functioned for 21 years before it came to an end, Gorkha Territorial Administration came into being in 2012, ending the two phases of the movement. The desperation, however, refuses to go and has by and large shaped the template of current Gorkhaland politics. While the Nepalis of Indian origin want to be identified as 'Gorkhas' in a bid to differentiate themselves from the 'Nepalis of Nepal', their subsequent attempt at identifying themselves as 'Tribes' was basically meant to secure 'Sixth Schedule status' for the Darjeeling hills. Getting recognised as a "Tribe" would have allowed the Gorkhas to institute an Autonomous District Council. While the Nepalis of Darjeeling are still groping for their identity as Indian citizens, and language was never far from their imagination, the current linguistic turn of the movement is likely to add a new direction to the Gorkhaland movement. If the words of Bimal Gurung – the supremo of Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha - are to be believed, they will from now on settle for nothing short of the “single-point agenda” of Gorkhaland. The Linguistic Turn Only recently the Government of West Bengal declared Bengali as a mandatory subject for all students till Class X in all schools within the state, irrespective of their Board affiliations. Partha Chatterjee, the minister of education, is reported to have announced: “The students have to choose three languages from a pool of Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Nepali, Santhali and English, out of which one has to be Bengali irrespective of the mother tongue of the student. The non-Bengali medium schools have to make arrangements to impart education in Bengali.” (emphasis ours). The chief minister has clarified in social media that while the three-language formula will be the means of 'giving the regional language its importance', a student will have the freedom of choosing Bengali as either first or second or even third language. Initial remarks coming from the official sources did not refer to any exemption. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) immediately organised a rally against making Bengali compulsory in the school curriculum. The chief minister subsequently clarified that the government had no plan of forcing students of Darjeeling within the GTA jurisdiction to read Bengali in schools, but mentioned that learning Bengali would help them secure jobs in future. GJM's students' wing described the announcement as “infringement on the Nepali language” and “forced imposition of Bengali” on their community. It is yet to be seen whether the linguistic turn sparks off yet another phase of the Gorkhaland movement. Institutionalising Militancy Darjeeling's Bhanu Bhawan – the headquarters of Gorkha Territorial Administration – witnessed one of the worst ever confrontations between the irate mob and the police on 8 June 2017 in which about 60 policemen were injured. According to a section of the press, the site turned into a “fortress” with about 1000 cadres of Gorkhaland Liberation Front (GLF) and Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) armed with stones, catapults, bottles, and other inflammable substances. GLF – a militant outfit formed in 2004 came to surface only in 2014 when intelligence agencies arrested Umesh Karmi – a driver of Bimal Gurung - with a huge cache of arms. GLP was banned by the Central Government in 2013. In a sense, the militancy of this nature is immanent in the way autonomous bodies like Gorkha Territorial Administration or its earlier avatar Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council function. To understand this recent outburst of violence, we need to understand the recent status of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the hills. While the ruling Trinamool Congress is making a strong headway in the hills, dissension has gripped the ranks of GJM with a few leaders forming their own political parties in the hills. In the recent municipal elections, TMC has won the Mirik municipality out of three municipal corporations while allegations of financial malpractices pile up again GTA. Under the circumstance, the Janmukti Morcha is in need of salvaging its otherwise thinning popularity and out-competing other ethnic organisations by stepping up its militant campaign. Interestingly, it is only now, in the 59th month of its 60-month long tenure, that the GJM leadership has come to realise that the GTA has limited power and financial resources. The realisation has come pretty late and, more importantly, crucially timed with the GTA elections coming up in the near future. But the course of events should not particularly surprise most observers of Indian politics as more often than not, militancy and formal institutional politics are closely entwined in India. The Language of Rule In a recent interview, Bimal Gurung declares himself as 'the chief minister' of the hills as much as Ms Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister of “Bengal”. Gurung argues that if the latter's jabardasti (forcefulness) could extend over 'Bengal', his jabardasti will extend over the hills. When jabardasti becomes the name of the game, it threatens to nullify politics of dissent – the very heart of democracy. The situation worsened with the wildcat strike of 9 June that threw public life out of gear. The chief minister refused to leave the troubled city and personally supervised the evacuation of the tourists – a large bulk of whom happens to be Bengalis. A medium-ranking TMC leader from the foothills threatened to flood the hills with his 100,000 followers if the call ever comes from his leader. While her absolutely well-intentioned act made her immensely popular in the plains, care should be taken to stop the action from being represented in the hills. Because any such misunderstand would further harden the hills-plains divide. Besides, the chief minister has appealed to the masses to continue keeping faith in her as their "didi" (elder sister) but as Swaraj Thapa, another GJM leader, puts it, 'we were younger brothers, but we too have grown up and want to establish our separate home."

Gorkhaland violence result of TMC inroads in Darjeeling hills

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Gorkhaland violence result of TMC inroads in Darjeeling hills