Calling 'Gorkhas' - 'Non Indian', community's program rejected at AIWC Patriotic event

Gorkhas are migrants, they cannot be Indian so cannot perform at 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav' program which is an Indian national program says AIWC event incharge. Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh decides to take up the matter legally. 

Indian  Gorkhas across the nation are outraged after  All India Women Conference (AIWC) executive member  Chandra Prabha Pandey chides Gorkha Artists, bans performance in Nepali langauge for 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav' (AKAM) labeling  "Nepali / Gorkha Bhasa " a non-Indian language. 

On June 9,  All India Women Conference, executive member Head of Events Ms Chandra Prabha Pandey sent out a note asking for contributions from regional chapters of AIWC for the proposed "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" celebrations. The contributions were supposed to be patriotic songs and dances performed in regional languages. When artists from Kalimpong District sent in their contribution, they were rudely told off my Ms Chandra Prabha Pande, who said "we cannot showcase performances in non-Indian languages". Shocked the artists reached out to AIWC Kalimpong Secretary Ms Aruna Pradhan, who tried to reason with Ms Chandra Prabha Pandey. But instead Ms.Pande further insisted "they cannot send National Anthem sung in Nepali language, as it is not a language from India". Despite the member from Kalimpong humbly trying to tell Ms. Chandra Prabha Pande that Nepali is very much an Indian language also known as Gorkha Bhasa. Ms Pandey is heard rudely brushing her off and demeaning the Nepali / Gorkha Bhasa being a non-Indian language. Debating with Aruna Pradhan over the telecon, she said people of neighbouring countries who come and settle here in India are migrants not necessarily citizen of our country while the former tried to explain Indianess of Gorkhas.

Ramesh Bastola, General Secretary of youth wing of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) said, 'It is shocking to realise that an esteemed reputed organization like AIWC would have members, who seem to be absolutely ignorant about the fact that Nepali language / Gorkha Bhasa is one of the national languages of India spoken by the 10.5 millions Indian Gorkha community, duly recognised as such under the VIIIth Schedule of the Indian  Constitution." 'In an emergent virtual core committee meeting held today, Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh (BhaGoYuP) has decided to take up the issue legally if she doesn't apologise in public domain through social media within 24 hours of publication of our statement and in person in next AIWC meeting. Our team will parallel file online petition too so that this incident doesn't happen again. We had taken up matter of 'Pataal Lok' Amazon Prime Video webseries where Nepali language speaking Gorkha character was not only shown in poor light but also derogatory remarks were used indicating the entire North Eastern community. Later Ministry of Information and Boardcasting, Government of India issued a guideline based on our collective democratic effort for censoring contents on OTT platforms ' said Bastola , general secretary, BhaGoYuP from Kangokopi Manipur over phone. Sanjana Newar, member of legal team of BhaGoYuP and an advocate from Tura, Garo Hills of Meghalaya said, 'I am absolutely outraged and shocked at the lack of knowledge and obvious display of ignorance on the part of an All India Women's Conference (AIWC) member Chandra Prabha Pande, who rejected performance in Nepali language in her organization's 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations citing that 'Nepali is a non-Indian language. Yuva Parisangh has decided to file a legal suit in this matter and I have been chosen to represent the case.'

Darjeeling MP Raju