It was late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s call in 1988 that led Subash Ghising, the supreme leader of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), to abandon the idea of a separate state of Gorkhaland and accept the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). However, the failure of the DGHC along with allegations of funds misappropriation against it sounded its death knell at tripartite talks in Delhi this week. It also brought back on the table the separate statehood demand, this time led by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM). A look at the rise and fall of DGHC:

Formation

The DGHC was set up on August 22, 1988, after the Union government, state government and GNLF signed an agreement at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. The DGHC covered the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district — namely Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong — plus the Mouzas of Lohagarh tea garden, Lohagarh forest, Rangmohan, Barachenga, Panighatta, Choto Adalpur, Paharu, Sukna forest, Sukna Part-I, Pantapati forest-I, Mahanadi forest, Champasair forest and Salbari Chatt Part II within the Siliguri subdivision.

The General Council of the DGHC had a total of 42 members, out of which 28 were to be elected and the rest nominated by the state government. In the first election in 1988, Subash Ghising was chosen chairman and enjoyed ex-officio status and privileges of a minister in the state council.

Problems

However, after the initial years, complaints started pouring in against the DGHC, especially Ghising’s “autocratic” rule as well as “misappropriation” of money. Ghising has been ruling the council since its inception. CAG reports from March 1996 to 2006 talked of gross financial irregularities in the DGHC, including the expenditure on Ghising’s foreign travels.

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