The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has decided to erect a statue of Subash Ghisingh, the hill leader who spearheaded the first Gorkhaland movement in Darjeeling hills in the 1980s.

Anit Thapa, chief executive of the GTA, has written a letter to Mann Ghisingh, president of the GNLF and Subash’s son, stating that the hill body intends to erect Ghisingh’s statue at Manju.

Ghisingh was born at Manju, near Mirik on June 22, 1936 and died on January 29, 2015.

Manjushri Park at Mirik

“Subash Ghisingh is a pride of Gorkhas and his contribution to the community is well known,” said Thapa, seeking permission for the project from the GNLF president.

On Saturday, Neeraj Zimba, secretary general of the party and Darjeeling MLA, replied to Thapa: “I place on record my deepest appreciation for the kind and noble gesture extended by the GTA in general and to you in particular by putting forward your proposal for the construction and establishment of a statue and a memorial in honor of our beloved Leader Atulya Subash Ghisingh.”

Although the demand for “a separate administrative unit” was raised in Darjeeling from 1907, the statehood demand caught wide attention after Ghisingh formed the GNLF on April 5, 1980, and chose Gorkhaland as the name for the proposed state.

The 28-month Gorkhaland agitation from 1986, however, culminated with the signing of autonomous body Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1988. Ghisingh chaired it till 2008.

Ghisingh had a firm grip on hill politics from 1986 till 2007 and is counted among the tallest Indian Gorkha politicians. The GNLF was ousted from power by Bimal Gurung who formed Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in 2007.

He also wrote Nepali novels under the name “Subash” and has 22 works to his credit.

He died in January 2015.

Rohini Road was named after Ghisingh when Binay Tamang was in charge of the GTA. A community hall in Kurseong has also been named after the hill leader.

No statue of Ghisingh has yet been erected in Darjeeling hills.

Thapa’s proposal comes at a time when a new political alignment is firming up with hill leaders Bimal Gurung, Ajoy Edwards and Binay Tamang at a convention in Delhi. The GNLF or the BJP alliance in the hills have not attended the convention held by Gurung’s Morcha.