Gorkhaland Decided to Be the 30th State of India: Fact Check

Story:

Breaking news: Gorkhaland to be the 30th State of India.

Other Versions

In a cabinet meeting chaired by honourable PM Shri Modi last evening, it was decided that the government of India will start the formation of Gorkhaland within a week. And the bill for the formation of Gorkhaland will be placed in the coming monsoon season.

The government is hopeful the bill will be passed successfully in both the houses as the BJP-led government has enough numbers in both the houses. In the sideline of the meeting, home minister, who was also present at the meeting said, “After closely examinining the problems faced by the Gorkhas in India, our government has taken this major decision. We will fulfill the dreams of crores of Indian Gorkhas who have given so much to our motherland. We will also try to convince the people of West Bengal“. On asked when will the Gorkha leadership be invited in Delhi, the home minister said he was in touch with them. A higy placed source closed to the home ministry said that PM Modi will travel himself to Darjeeling to give the “good news” to the Gorkhas whom he had promised a ” land” some years ago.

Fact Check:

Certain messages shared widely on social media sites and also WhatsApp since at least July 2017 come as a ‘Breaking News’ claiming the Indian Government, with Shri Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister, has decided to form Gorkhaland as the 30th State of the country. These claims about formation of Gorkhaland as the 30th State of India are not true.

About Gorkhaland

Over the years, there were many campaigns, protests and some agitations for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal, with a separate administrative unit in Darjeeling. In recent years, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and some related Gorkha organizations and Hills parties fought for the separate statehood. Call for separate Gorkhaland increased in 2013 after Telangana became the 29th state of India. It surfaced later again in late 2017.

Separate State Formed?

As of July 2017, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India never supported the separate statehood of Gorkhaland. They were not in favor of it. However, they showed interest in the development of the region and address issues like backwardness. And as of this writing, there are no reports of any preparations or formation of separate Gorkhaland state.

So the claims about the decision of forming Gorkhaland as a separate, 30th State of India are hoaxes; there are no such official reports as of this writing.

Hoax or Fact:

Hoax.