BJP MLA of Darjeeling Neeraj Zimba has
demanded that Padma awards be conferred on former president of Gorkha National Liberation Front Subash Ghisingh
posthumously.
This year, the prestigious Padma Shri award was conferred on Kaajee Singh, a "madal" (traditional Nepali instrument) exponent based in Kalimpong district.
Zimba on Friday said he had written to Darjeeling MP Raju Singh Bista
reminding him about the conversation the two had three years ago.
"I spoke to him (Bista) earlier, to take initiative to recognise the contribution of Ghisingh.
He has left a mark in the history of Indian Gorkhas," he said. Zimba said he had
requested the BJP MP to lobby for nomination and recommendation of
Ghisingh for the Padma award in the coming year.
"Ghisingh is a towering personality of the Gorkha community and is well known for his social, political, and literary contributions and for spreading awareness among the Indian Gorkhas.
He had also written and published more than 20 books," Zimba said. Ghisingh was born in 1935 and died in 2015.
He was the president of the GNLF and was the first politician from the hill to coin the word 'Gorkhaland'.
Ghising ruled Darjeeling hills for more than 20 years as chairman and later administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council which now has been
replaced by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.
Under Ghisingh, the GNLF in the 1980s spearheaded the statehood agitation.
Later, in 2001 he also raised the demand of including the hills under the sixth schedule of the Constitution.
Neeraj Zimba, originally from GNLF, won the Darjeeling assembly seat with a BJP ticket.
Source : VOS of Mirik.
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