The national pastime of cynical politicking has found a new locale—Darjeeling. All the three forces playing the game—the Centre, the West Bengal government and the GNLF—are tapping their respective reservoirs of expediency to hoodwink the people. New Delhi has always been eager to brand any dissent in any corner of the country as 'anti-national', In a unique departure from the habit, Rajiv Gandhi in Calcutta on September 18 gave a clean chit to the Cork ha National Liberation Front (GNLF) which has been agitating for a separate state of Gorkhaland (within the Indian Union). On the other hand, the Left Front government of West Bengal which had earlier approached the Centre for approval for some sort of regional autonomy for Nepalispeaking population of Darjeeling (within West Bengal) is today denouncing the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland as 'secessionist' and' anti-national'.
