Gorkhas hurt over AIWC’s ‘Nepali non-Indian language’ snub, threaten legal action

GUWAHATI: Gorkhas across India are outraged after the All India Women Conference (AIWC) rejected a performance of artistes from the community on the ground that ‘Nepali’ is a “non-Indian” language.

On June 9, AIWC executive member and the head of events Chandra Prabha Pandey had sent out a note asking for contributions for an event organised coinciding with “Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav”. The contributions were patriotic songs and dances performed in regional languages.

When artists from Kalimpong in West Bengal had sent in their contributions, they were allegedly rudely told by Pandey “we cannot showcase performances in non-Indian languages”, the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) alleged.

This had prompted AIWC, Kalimpong secretary Aruna Pradhan to intervene but Pandey allegedly insisted “they cannot send national anthem sung in the Nepali language as it is not a language from India”.

The BGP expressed shock over how Pandey conducted herself. “It is shocking the AIWC is absolutely ignorant that Nepali language/Gorkha Bhasa is one of the national languages of India spoken by 10.5 million Indian Gorkhas and duly recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution,” BGP youth wing general secretary Ramesh Bastola said.

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista also expressed shock. “The AIWC has shown deliberate racism against the Gorkha community of our nation by claiming that Nepali is not an Indian language and not allowing a performance in the Nepali language,” he said.

The Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh asked Pandey to tender a public apology within 24 hours or she would be sued.

“Our team will file an online petition too so that this incident doesn’t happen again,” a Gorkha leader said.