Kurseong, Oct. 29: The Gorkha Rashtriya Congress today organised a rally at the motor stand in Kurseong, demanding that the Darjeeling hills be merged with neighbouring Sikkim.

It was the party’s first public gathering after the formation of its subdivisional committee.

“Till today, the dream of having a separate state has proved to be futile for the people of the hills,” the party chief D.S. Bomzon told the small gathering at the motor stand. The poor attendance could be an indication that the residents were not much interested in the merger.

“The documents available with us are enough to prove that the hills of Darjeeling belonged to the Himalayan state Sikkim. We want to tell the people one thing — the hills have already spent more than 100 years demanding Gorkhaland. Have they got it? The separate state of Gorkhaland can be secured only if a bill was passed in the state Assembly. But Bengal will never do that,” Bomzon added.

He added that in 1996, while issuing a white paper, the Bengal government had stated that the present territory of Darjeeling actually belonged to Sikkim.

“If we take a look at a 1835 map, even Siliguri was part of Sikkim at that time. We think that it is easier for the people of the hills to live together with residents of Sikkim rather than those of Bengal.”

Referring to the recent statement made by Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling that the Darjeeling hills were given as a gift to Bengal, Bomzon said: “If Sikkim gifted the area to Bengal, it could not take it back.

“However, before the merger of Sikkim and India, the Indian government used to pay a tax to the king of Sikkim. If the Darjeeling hills were given as a gift to Bengal, then why did Sikkim take tax from India?” the party chief asked. “We have all the documents with us to prove it. Sikkim must ask the land back from Bengal, if not, they did not have the right to take tax from the Indian government. Hill residents should now ask Sikkim to get back their land from Bengal.”