Himalayan Times (1961)

JuJ.y 2, 1961

Himalayan Times

Three

MOVE TO MALiGI DARJEELING DISTRICT CONGRESS

Statement by Srimati Mayadevi Chettrl

( Irom Our Correspondent ) '
Darjeeling, June 28.

Srimati Maya Devi
Chettri. President Darj«e>
ling District Congress Com-
niittte has if-sued a state-
ment stating her party's
stand on language contro-
versy in Darjeeling, The
statement .says "various
statements appearing in
the press is causing some
lonfuBion in _ the minds
it' the people with regard
lo the stand taken by the'
Darjuling District^ Con-
grts< Committee on the
que lion of language fur
the Nepali speaking area
i f" the District of Dar-
jeeling;

The Darjeeling Diatriol
Congress Committee ha-a
taken a clear stand oi
the question of language
The reports that the l*ia-
triot (Jongress Cumiuittes
ie in any way influenced
or guided by other poli-
tical parties on the ques-
tion of language is base-
less and unfounded The
District Congress Commi-
ttt> baa based its resolu-
tion on the memorandum
of September 1866 appro-
ved by the Chief Minis-
ters, the Parliament and
the State Governments.
The stand taken by the

District Congress Com-
mittee is not meant in
any way to be prejudi-
cial to the State Govern-
ment nor is it guided by
any communal motives.
Allegations in oertain quar-
ters that the move !:'.-■
a fiasi parous tendency is
not only, far—fetched but
is apparently made to
malign, the Darjeeling
CoDgreft3 Committee.

The statement further
uays that, the Darjeeling
District Congress Commi-
ttee has formulated it's
resolution as already stated
above on the Memoran-
dum of the' Government
of India. The written state-
mint by the Congress
President quoted a portion
of the aforesaid memo-
randum which says. "The
Com.mi8«ion has proposed
that the,w Stales should
be recognised as unilintinal
whereon language group
constitutes about 70% or
more of its entiie popula-
tion and that where them
is a substantial minority
t ftistitutinp 30% or more
of its entire population,
the State be recognised
ai bi-lingual for adminis-
trative purpose. Tbe Coin-

mission further. suggested
that the same principle*
might bold good at the-
Dtstriot level; that is to
say, if 70% or more of
(he total population of
a district consists of a
group v. hiob is minority
ill the State; as a whole,
the language of the mi-
nority and not > the State
language shall be the,
official language in the
district"

''.'Concluding, the State-
ment says that iu a recent'
conference in Calcutta
between the Pradesh Con-
gress Committee . and the
District Congress Commi-
ttee chiefs, doubts, were
raised with regard to the
constitutionality or other-
wise of. the provision con-
tained in the above men-
tioned memorandum. It.
was decided in the con-
ference that tbe memo-
randum in question may
be referred to the At-
tnney General for his
legal opinion. The District
Congtess Committee is
preparing to refer the
matter to the (Attoney
General. The deliberations
of tho Kastern Zonal Coun-
oil on the question may
also be helpful in olarily-
iti the issue.

SI ILL AVAILABLE

TiBETAN TALES

By David Macconald
' Himalayan Stores.

KALIMPONG.