Centre sets up committee to draft 'permanent political solution' for Gorkha issue

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (August 22, 2026) chaired a meeting with stakeholders from the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal and announced the formation of a committee to draft an agreement and finalise modalities for a “permanent political solution” for the region.

The committee will be chaired by Pankaj Kumar Singh, former Deputy National Security Adviser and currently the interlocutor for the Gorkha issue, according to a statement from the Union Home Ministry. The statement said all issues concerning the hill population were discussed in detail, including demands regarding their identity, a permanent political solution, and recognition under the Constitution of India.

The Home Minister assured the stakeholders that a permanent political solution would be delivered soon within the framework of the Constitution and that all other demands of the Gorkha community would be examined sympathetically. Among those present at the meeting were BJP MP Raju Bista, MLAs from the region, leaders of hill parties including the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Gorkha National Liberation Front, former Foreign Secretary and BJP MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, to be carved out of the Darjeeling hills and parts of the Terai and Dooars regions, has persisted for several decades. The region has witnessed repeated shutdowns and violence over the statehood demand since the late 1980s. The most recent major unrest was in 2017, when a 100-day shutdown and related violence claimed 11 lives. Earlier arrangements, such as the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988 and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in 2011, have not fully met the aspirations of the people.

Supporters of Gorkhaland argue that the region is ethnically and linguistically distinct from the rest of West Bengal. The term “permanent political solution” has been part of political discourse since it appeared in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2019 Lok Sabha manifesto. The people of the hills have elected BJP MPs and MLAs over the past two decades on the promise of addressing their political demands. Since the BJP came to power in West Bengal in May 2026, both the state and the Centre are now governed by the same party, which many see as an opportunity for a decisive move. The previous Trinamool Congress government had opposed any attempt to divide West Bengal.

This is not the first step by the Centre to address the issue. In October 2025, the Union government appointed Pankaj Kumar Singh as interlocutor to hold talks with Gorkha representatives. Earlier, several rounds of tripartite talks were held involving the Union government, representatives of the Darjeeling hills, and the state government.

The newly constituted committee is expected to finalise the modalities of an agreement, taking into account the views of all stakeholders. The exact shape of the political solution, however, has not been spelled out yet, and the committee’s recommendations will be crucial in determining the future course.