Private Member's Resolution in the Rajya Sabha
On 12 March 2010, the then BJP Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Pratap Rudy placed a private member’s resolution (not bill) on Gorkhaland (and Telangana) in the Rajya Sabha. The resolution states the following:
SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY to move the following Resolution:-
"Having regard to the fact that:-
(i) the State of Andhra Pradesh was formed in the year 1956 after amalgamating Telugu speaking areas and due to lop-sided policies some areas remained neglected in the fields of education, employment, irrigation, development, etc., and this neglect and backwardness have led to an acute feeling of alienation amongst the people of the Telangana region, who have been demanding a separate state since 1969;
(ii) Telangana consists of ten districts of Andhra Pradesh, namely, Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Mahboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Khammam, Warangal, Karimnagar, Adilabad and Nizamabad, out of which nine districts have been recognized by the Government of India as backward despite the fact that this region houses many natural resources, the benefits of which have failed to reach the people;
(iii) the proposed Gorkhaland area in West Bangal, i.e. Darjeeling District and the adjoining Dooars area which are under Jalpaiguri District were parts of two kingdoms of Sikkim and Bhutan before the advent of the British;
(iv) the Government of India Act, 1919 constituted a Legislative Council for Bengal but Darjeeling had no representation, as it was declared an Excluded Area and outside the purview of the Legislature of the Bengal Presidency;
(v) post Independence, Darjeeling and the Dooars became part of West Bengal;
(vi) the State Re-organization Commission in 1956 recommended creation of 14 states on linguistic lines; 51
(vii) the census of 1951 for Darjeeling District projected the Nepalispeaking population as a miniscule minority by showing Nepalispeaking population only 17% which was actually 66% and thereby denied them separate state on linguistic lines;
(viii) the Indian Gorkhas having a distinct socio-cultural entity and concentrated in contiguous districts of North Bengal are fighting for the formation of a separate state within the Indian Union in order to preserve, protect and promote their distinct identity;
(ix) the Gorkhas, Bhutias and the Lepchas have a social, cultural and linguistic affinity with the tribals of the Dooras region, i.e., Santhals, Uraons, Mundas, Totas, Rabhas, Mechey and Raj Bangshis and Nepali is their lingua franca and is spoken throughout the region of Dooars;
(x) the demand, when fulfilled, will ensure the protection of the Gorkha's distinct socio-cultural identity and will bring them into the mainstream and inculcate a sense of belonging;
(xi) the Ladakh region with the area of 86,904 square kilometers has only one representative in the Parliament and two in the State Assembly due to this people’s voice is lost and there is poor recognition of their needs and requirements;
(xii) there is an urgent requirement to identify the aspirations and needs of Ladakhi people to integrate them with the Nation;
(xiii) the Ladakh District has long border with China manned by the Indian Military and Para-military forces, which requires day to day monitoring and supervision by the Union Government;
(xiv) in District of Ladakh, the major development issues have remained unfulfilled due to the distinct geographical location and the existing terrain in the Himalayas;
(xv) in order to establish bilateral trade and prevent illegitimate trading it is essential to have this region directly administered by the Central Government;
(xvi) the experience of creation of smaller states and Union Territories has proved that it makes the administration smoother and efficient coupled with higher possibilities of development of the areas that have remained neglected, giving the people more access to the Government and reducing the disparity levels between the developed and non-developed areas; and
(xvii) there is merit in the demand for separate states of Telangana and Gorkhaland as well as centrally administered Union Territory of Ladakh as it serves the cause of economic viability and administrative convenience,
this House, therefore, urges upon the Government to create separate States of Telangana and Gorkhaland with a separate Legislature, Executive and Judiciary in accordance with the Constitution of India and a separate centrally administered Union Territory of Ladakh.”
(Source: Rajya Sabha)