The President of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is leading the separate statehood movement, has called off the indefinite strike in Darjeeling.
What led to this blockade?
The people of the Darjeeling Hills and the people of Indian Gorkhas in the Northern part of West Bengal have long been demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland.
The GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) was set up in 2012 as a semi-autonomous body to devolve some powers.
However, substantial administrative and fiscal authority remained with the state government’s district heads.
There is a long pending standoff in Darjeeling as a result of failure of devolution of power to the GTA as promised.
The immediate cause for the recent blockade is West Bengal CM's statement to make Bengali a compulsory language of study in the State.
The stir started off with this and led to a revival of the demand for statehood.
On an appeal from the Union Home Minister and his tentative offer of talks on the issue, the strike was called off.
What lies ahead?
The tourism sector and the tea industry faced huge losses following the unrest in the region.
The end to the blockade comes as a relief to the stalled economy of the region.
Now that the strike has been called off, the Union and West Bengal governments and the GJM must urgently begin tripartite talks.
An agreement on the empowerment of the GTA can only address the grievances of the residents of Darjeeling and prove to be a sustainable resolution of the issue.
