Amit Shah Forms Committee for Gorkha Political Solution

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a tripartite meeting on August 22, 2026, in Sukna, West Bengal, to establish a roadmap for a permanent political solution regarding the Gorkha identity issue. Attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and leaders from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Gorkha National Liberation Front, the talks focused on demands for a distinct identity and constitutional recognition for the hill population.

Shah announced the formation of a committee to finalize the modalities of a final agreement within the Indian constitutional framework. The committee is led by government interlocutor Pankaj Kumar Singh, a retired IPS officer and former deputy national security advisor. To support the resolution of pending issues, Shah committed that the central government would provide adequate funding.

The meeting coincided with the anniversary of the 1988 Gorkha accord, which originally created the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council following violent agitations for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The current discussions follow a shift in regional politics, as the BJP-led government in West Bengal was formed with backing from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, raising expectations that a double engine government could resolve the long-standing tensions.