The
Gorkha community was on the verge of making real progress with the ST demand,
but of course, we just couldn’t resist the social media circus, could we?
Samson Tamang – a chef-turned-political-dramatist, single-handedly managed to
stir up an identity crisis, derail a crucial movement, and give everyone
something to fight over. Bravo!
In
an era where politics thrives on social media, the entire episode surrounding
Samson Tamang is yet another example of how easily public attention can be
hijacked. What started as a controversial statement by a relatively irrelevant unknown
individual soon snowballed into a full-blown political crisis. It created a stirin
the social media and effectively shifted our focus from the Gorkha ST demand to
a divisive debate on identity and indigenous rights.
Tamang,
a non-descript chef who goes to any extent to garner attention, decided to make
inflammatory comments about the ‘Bahun’ sub-tribe of the Gorkha community,
questioning their origins and labeling them as refugees who fled from Bhutan. He
hijacked the issue by questioning about their identity.
For
the past couple of weeks, hebegan trending in the news with regards to who is
the indigenous Gorkha.His remarks were provocative enough to ignite an uproar,
with social media content creators jumping in to exploit the controversy for
their own gains. It took a while but now the conversation around the Gorkha ST
demand seems to have taken a backseat, replaced by outrage, accusations, and
counter-accusations.
The
repercussions of this controversy led Samson Tamang to be arrested in Bodh Gaya
and brought to Sikkim, where he made explosive allegations, accusing opposition
leader Ganesh Rai of the Citizen Action Party (CAP) and Kurseong MLA BP Bajgain
of orchestrating his comments against the Khas tribe of the Gorkha community.
As expected, these claims led to protests, with different factions taking to
the streets to voice their grievances against BP Bajgain and Ganesh Rai.
With
the political landscape in Sikkim and Darjeeling growing increasingly tense,
the situation has evolved into a chaotic blame game. While CAP Party leaders
demand a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe to uncover the truth, BP
Bajgain raised the issued in the West Bengal Assembly and dismissed Tamang’s
statements as baseless, calling the entire incident a conspiracy to derail the
ST demand. Meanwhile, the Sikkim Chief Minister addressed the issue in the Assembly,
reinforcing the claim that this controversy was concocted to create unrest and
sabotage the community’s aspirations.A nobody like Samson Tamang overnight gets
such huge legitimacy with his name being mentioned in the Assemblies of two
Indian States.
The
timing of this controversy could not have been worse. Just as the ST demand was
gaining some serious traction—fueled by Sikkim CM’s meetings with social
organizations, MPs, and MLAs in Siliguri—the focus has now shifted to internal
conflicts and distrust among the Gorkha sub-tribes. Social organizations in the
entire region of Sikkim and Darjeeling discussing these events creating
hullabaloohas given a strong impression that there is a huge rift among castes
and communities within the ‘Gorkha’ definition.What should have been a unified
push towards securing ST status has instead become a divisive debate over
identity, creating a perception that the community lacks cohesion.
To
make matters worse, this turmoil will not gounnoticed by the central government.With
memories of the Manipur crisis still fresh, Delhi is unlikely to entertain any
demand that appears to be causing social unrest in the strategically sensitive
Chicken Neck and the Northeast region. The chaos triggered by Samson Tamang’s
remarks has handed the government the perfect excuse to put the ST demand on
the backburner, citing instability as a major concern.
If
there is one lesson to be learned from this debacle, it is that the Gorkha
community must not allow itself to be so easily distracted. The more we react
to such manufactured controversies, the further we drift from our larger goals.
The ST demand was gaining momentum, but thanks to misplaced outrage,
unnecessary protests, and social media sensationalism, we have succeeded in derailing
our own cause.Congratulations, everyone! Well done! The ST demand has been
derailed for now.
But
let’s not make the mistake of thinking it’s permanent. The community still has
a chance to regroup, refocus, and move forward—if only we stop falling for
every distraction that comes our way.
(Views
are personal. Email: ranjeetpharsuram@gmail.com)
