Paper short abstract:

Drawing on my study of the Gorkhaland movement the paper demonstrates that movements for new states are no unitary blocks challenging the state but rather mechanisms for local elite formation supported by the very state that the movement leaders claim to oppose.

Paper long abstract:

In 2007, the Gorkhaland movement in North West Bengal experienced a revival with the emergence of a new party, the Gorkha Liberation Front (GLF) that ended the 20 years lasting reign of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), and raised hopes for a democratic and less violent political culture. The struggle for a new separate state in India including Darjeeling district and adjoining areas is mainly based on the Gorkhas' believe that it would guarantee them an Indian identity. However, although the movement appears as homogenous, a closer look reveals its manifold contradictions and fractions rendering Darjeeling not only a contested space between the West Bengal government and the movement but also between the different movement actors. Such contestations become visible in the often violent oppression of other Darjeeling based parties by the GLF, or the appropriation and distribution of development funds to a selected clientele, fostering a territorialization of the GLF's power. This utilization of "money" and "muscle" power seems only possible with the acceptance of the very state government which is challenged by the GLF's leaders. Situating the analysis in the broader context of contested political authority and state-society relations, I understand the struggle for Gorkhaland not only as an expression of autonomy aspirations but mainly as a mechanism for elite formation in Darjeeling supported by a state government which is outsourcing its sovereignty to alleged criminal leaders in order to maintain the territorial integrity of the West Bengal state.