Vishal Lama, an MLA elected from the Kalchini constituency of the Dubars region, became a Minister of State in the Cabinet led by Chief Minister Subendu Adhikari.
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The Nepali-speaking (Gorkha) community has been represented in the West Bengal government after four decades. Vishal Lama, an MLA elected from the Kalchini constituency of the Dubars region, has become a minister of state in the state government after four decades. He took oath wearing a Dhaka cap in the Nepali language.
The cabinet led by Chief Minister Subendu Adhikari, comprising 35 new and old ministers, took oath on Monday. Of these, 13 are ministers, 19 are ministers of state and 3 are ministers of state with independent responsibilities. Representing the Nepali-speaking and tribal communities of the Dubars region, Lama has become a minister of state for the first time. Lama is a new generation leader who has emerged through BJP politics after 2021. He is also the first Nepali-speaking person to win in his area.
According to author Gyanendra Aryal, Shiva Kumar Rai is considered the first Gorkha-Nepali leader to become a minister in the West Bengal government. He was elected as an MLA from the Jorbanglo constituency in 1948, soon after India's independence. Later, he held the position of Deputy Minister of Labor in the state government from 1952 to 1957. He was also active in the literary field. His famous work 'Dak Bangla' is considered a landmark in Nepali literature.
Similarly, Deuprakash Rai is the first Nepali-speaking leader to become a cabinet minister in the West Bengal government. He is also the first Nepali-speaking person to have a 'hat-trick' in the cabinet. An ex-soldier, he was an influential leader of the All India Gorkha League. He played an important role in the trade union movement and contributed to organizing the labor movement of the Darjeeling tea gardens.
Rai was elected as an MLA from the Darjeeling constituency continuously from 1957 to 1981. During the United Front government, he also held the responsibility of the Ministry of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare in 1967, 1969 and 1971 and later the Ministry of Tourism. His tenure is considered an influential time in the politics of Darjeeling.
Nar Bahadur Gurung's name is also mentioned in the political history of West Bengal. He was a leader from a Congress political background. He became a Minister of State in the United Front government in the 1970s. After him, his son Gajendra Gurung also became active in politics and was elected as an MLA from Kalimpong region and held the positions of Deputy Minister and Minister of State in the state government. This is a rare example of a father and son holding a position in the state government.
The last time Dawa Lama (Tamang Dawa Lama) from the Gorkha community became a minister in the West Bengal government. He became the Minister of State for Hill Development in the 1980s. At that time, the Gorkhaland movement was intensifying in the Darjeeling region, due to which hill politics was unstable and development issues were affected. He was associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and was also a Rajya Sabha MP twice. He was considered a confidant of the then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.
