Assam Gorkhas reject GDC created by the state government: Gorkha Autonomous Council

Dil Bahadur Limboo, the senior vice president of the Gorkha Autonomous Council Demand Committee (GACDC) on Thursday stated that the Gorkhas of Assam rejected Gorkha Development Council (GDC) a statutory body of the state government created by the Assam Legislative Assembly under the Welfare of the Plain Tribes & Other Backward Castes Department.

Dil Bahadur Limboo made the statement at an event organized to pay tribute to Amar Saheed Durga Malla on his 79th martyrdom day which the Gorkhas celebrate as ‘Balidan Divas’ and to commemorate the 31st Gorkha Bhasa Recognition Day at Padumpathar in Merapani, Golaghat organized by AAGSU Doyang Sarupani Simanta Co-ordination Committee on Thursday.

The Government of Assam created the GDC on 11th October 2010 vide notification of the Department of Welfare of Plain Tribes and Other Backward Classes No. TAD/BC/07/120 as a step of GAC. 

‘The AAGSU spearheaded the Gorkha Autonomous Council (GAC) movement with GACDC. In a joint meeting after consultations with important stakeholders within the community, the Assam government unanimously resolved to accept the GDC only on an experimental basis but never in lieu of the GAC. It is evident since 2016 that GDC doesn’t meet the expectations and aspirations of Gorkhas to be an indigenous community of Assam and exercise the right to self-determination since discrimination is still rampant,” Limboo stated.

“Gorkhas are known to be studious and hardworking and don't depend on schemes to live life however can easily avail these beneficiaries of items from the govt. schemes available”. 

“What we the Gorkhas want is indigenous status through gazette notification and right of self-determination by the creation of Gorkha Autonomous Council with constitutional security and prosperity of the community, former AAGSU president Limboo said. He further announced that the GACDC which has been leading the GAC movement since 2003 will spearhead the GAC movement which was received with a huge round of applause”.

Kumar Limboo of the AAGSU said, “GACDC will celebrate its silver jubilee in 2024 and we all aspire to be original inhabitants of Gorkha Autonomous Council in Assam with indigenous status since the nation celebrated Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav (Platinum jubilee of Independent India) and the community that contributed to the independence struggle movement have been time and again told to prove its nationality and citizenship by government machineries and insulted by so-called intellectuals and individuals recent being All India Women Conference (AIWC) Chandra Prabha Pandey case. GDC has failed to address our aspiration since it doesn’t have a single representative in the council from the district that gave the GAC movement its first martyr Birbol Limboo”.

Chief Guest of the event Bhim Rao Ambedkar Sahitya Ratna awardee and Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) Upper Assam president Dhanprasad Limboo said, “BGP had resolved to extend unconditional support to the indigenous status movement of Gorkhas of Assam at the northeast zonal meet in 2019 in Silchar Barak Valley”.
“The BGP in its national general conference in Kokrajhar BTR on 3rd and 4th Sept 2022 is expected to pass a resolution on GAC movement since the Assam state committee resolved to move the resolution at the delegate session”.