Darjeeling: Minister of State for Home Affairs, Government of India, Nityanand Rai’s response that an interlocutor was appointed following repeated demands for dialogue and the “absence of elected representatives in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)” has triggered questions regarding the Union Government’s level of sincerity and commitment towards the Gorkha cause.
The Union Home Ministry’s response came in reply to an unstarred question by TMC MP Bapi Haldar on March 24 in Parliament regarding the appointment of an interlocutor for the Gorkha impasse. Haldar had asked whether the appointment to pursue a “permanent political solution” to the Gorkha issues was made without prior consultation with the West Bengal government and if so, the reasons for such non-consultation.
In his reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated that the signing of a tripartite agreement between the Government of India, Government of West Bengal and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in July 2011 had paved the way for the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The response went on to state: “In July 2017, all elected members of the GTA resigned. In view of the non-existence of elected members in the GTA and long and repeated requests for dialogue by Gorkha leaders,” three tripartite meetings were convened by the Union Home Ministry on 7.10.2020, 12.10.2021 and 03.04.2025. There was no representation of the West Bengal government in two of these meetings and no substantial representation in one.
The government then appointed an interlocutor to hold constructive dialogue with “various stakeholders, including representatives of Gorkha organisations, on issues related to Gorkhas in the Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars region of Darjeeling district of West Bengal,” the response stated.
“The Union Home Ministry is not aware that elections to the GTA were held in June 2022 and that there are 45 elected members. They claim to be sincere towards the Gorkha cause but don’t even know that the body has elected representatives.
The Union Home Ministry describes this region as highly sensitive but does not even keep track of what is happening here. How is this possible? How can they be sincere to the Gorkha issue when they don’t know what is happening in this region,” stated SP Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer, GTA.
Sharma also questioned the motive behind not acknowledging the GTA as a stakeholder. “As per the response, the third tripartite talks were held on 03.04.2025. Why weren’t the elected GTA members invited to the meeting? During the visit of Pankaj Kumar Singh, the interlocutor, to the Darjeeling Hills in January 2026, he did not invite the GTA for talks despite meeting other organisations and political leaders. How can he not know about the GTA when the Union Home Minister’s response itself refers to its formation? What does this indicate? Is it an intelligence failure? Or is the BJP MP from Darjeeling misleading the Union Government?” Sharma questioned.