Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has protested against what he described as “systemic discrimination” against the Nepali language, citing two recent incidents in West Bengal and Sikkim.
According to Bista, the first case involved a Judicial Magistrate in Mungpoo Court, who allegedly scolded a lawyer for speaking Nepali with clerks, saying it was “a language of Nepal, not India.” The Darjeeling Bar Association has objected strongly to this remark. In another case, a Master’s level scholar from Sikkim University reportedly argued that only Hindi or English should be spoken in classrooms, not Nepali.
“These hurtful comments against our language and identity reveal a deeply troubling mind-set within institutions that are supposed to uphold justice and equality,” Bista said in a statement. “It Is beyond my understanding how a Judge can ignore the fact that Nepali has been an official language in India since 1992 under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and in West Bengal since 1961.”
Highlighting the upcoming Nepali/Gorkha Bhasa Manyata Diwas on August 20, Bista said such incidents show how ignorance and prejudice continue to haunt the Gorkha community. “To question the legitimacy of Nepali in India is not only ignorant but dangerous. Our language is our identity, and it is as Indian as any other,” he asserted.
The MP called for an end to such discriminatory attitudes, stressing that Gorkhas have made immense contributions to India’s freedom struggle, defence, sports, and nation-building.