Article

INTRODUCTION

According the foreword by King Jigme Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan to the revised second edition “ BHUTAN” 1978, by Nagendra Singh, the constitutional advisor of the Royal government of Bhutan from 1970 until he was elected as judge of the International Court of Justice 1972, later as Vice-President of the International Court of Justice,  the king has clearly accepted today’s Bhutan was a tutelage of Kamarupa, Assam (India) ruled by Indian rulers until 650 A.D and the Country of Origin(CO) of the northern Bhutanese and present dynasty to be Tibet.

After the death of Bhaskarverman, the ruler of Kamarupa today’s Bhutan got separated from Kamarupa only to expose itself to incursions from Tibet which swept it in about 861-900 AD “BHUTAN” by Nagendra Singh 1978: 18. Prior to this there were no Tibetans(Bhuteas) in today’s Bhutan. Those Tibetans who swarmed Bhutan liked it so much they refused to return Tibet and such deserters were called “Milog”. It was mainly due to better economic conditions of this area that attracted the Tibetans. Later gradually those Tibetans ousted Indian rulers along with their people and today no descendants of those Indian rulers are present in Bhutan to label all immigrants to Bhutan as “illegal immigrants”.

Since 12^th century AD onwards some prominent lamas from Tibet started immigrating to today’s Bhutan and started ruling this area in small different territories under each lama. Later in early 17^th century AD, all those territories were unified by a monk, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who immigrated to Bhutan in 1616 AD from Ralung in Tibet. He reigned this unified nation under theocratic system which still persist in present Bhutan through “Driglam Namza” under cover of “unique democracy”.

Although the king system in Bhutan was established in 1907, the ruling system persisted as that of medieval and theocratic for which people of Bhutan were not happy. In such difficult situations the people of southern Bhutan dared to form a political party called “Jaigorkha” to address their grievances against discrimination and oppression and organized a mass peaceful protest rally at Dagana Bhutan in 1947. This party was brutally crushed down by the regime with the help of government of India. Following this once again another political party “Bhutan State Congress” was formed in 1952 to address the grievances of the Bhutanese. Instantly the member of the party were killed in Sarbhang Bhutan and the leader of the party late Mahasur Chhetry from Chirang was assassinated by the regime.

Because of the protest of those two parties the then rulers of Bhutan were promulgated to grant citizenship to all the Bhutanese for the first time in Bhutan, to those who domiciled in Bhutan on or before 31^st December 1958 after resolution of the National Assembly of Bhutan. But the census record was maintained by the village heads(Mandals) and Dewans of respective areas. Until 1968 only when Ministry of Home Affairs of Bhutan was established.

After 1958 all the Bhutanese citizens were quite happy and living in harmony. They all equally contributed to the nation building programs until late 80’s when the rulers of Bhutan shook them out of their cloister by implementing discriminatory, suppressing policies and conducting irrational census exercises only in southern Bhutan.

Since mid 80s, with strong inbuilt intention of ethnic cleansing the rulers of Bhutan conducted illogical census exclusively in southern districts in 1988 that forcefully disqualified as many bonafide southern Bhutanese and were labeled them as economic immigrants. Such discriminatory policies of the rulers of Bhutan was resented and they organized peaceful mass rally in southern Bhutan in 1990 and in eastern Bhutan in 1997. Instantly the demonstrators were labeled as anti-nationals and terrorists . and some Bhutanese were later labeled as “illegal immigrants” to sound their campaigning more impressive to the world community. Now, how much justifiable is it? When the descendants of earlier immigrants by virtue of being in power labeling the descendants of later immigrants as illegal immigrants and evicting them from their motherland, Bhutan to make them refugees.

In mid 90s when International pressure on Bhutan grew stronger the ruler of Bhutan accepted the truth of bonafide Bhutanese living in the eastern Nepal and itself proposed to categorized and verify them. But as the time lapsed and the pressure from the International community laxed the rules of Bhutan came up with hypothetic slogan of “Gross National Happiness” in Bhutan to fool the world community. In this regards Bhutanese rulers seem more smarter than many diplomats and bureaucracies who are appreciating this hypothetical slogan without knowing real situation of Bhutan and the Bhutanese. Is it not like blessing to Lord Shiva to demon Bhasmasura?

True “Gross National Happiness” ?

How sensible and rational Bhutan be happy when their relatives and nationalists are evicted from their motherland Bhutan without their mistake and not allowed to meet even at the occasions like death ceremonies; when the landed properties of their evicted relatives all distributed to other Bhutanese. When they do not have rights to express their grievances; when their vast land of northern Bhutan is handed over to Chinese authority without their consent; when rulers make treaty to piled up arms and ammunitions only to subdue voices of Bhutanese now and in future; when their motherland, Bhutan is mortgaged only for protection of rulers forever etc.

Every rational Bhutanese and International community know that the happiness of Bhutanese mostly depends on people of India and the government of India. Then why blatantly bluff the innocent Bhutanese and International community having no deep knowledge about the Bhutanese rulers and condition of Bhutanese in remote Bhutan. The supporters of the hypothetic slogan of “Gross National Happiness” in Bhutan by the Bhutanese rulers are either ignorant about true situation of Bhutan and Bhutanese people or properly bribed by the Bhutanese rulers to sing this hypothetic slogan shamelessly.

True Nationalist ?

By now the world know that large area, about 10 thousand square kilometer of northern Bhutan is handed over to Chinese authority, though same rulers were very bravely were able to confiscate the lands of southern Bhutanese, without the knowledge of the people of unique democratic country of Bhutan. Similarly these rulers were ready to sacrifice one of the southern districts to-------------------------(? India) after resettling all exiled bonafide Bhutanese of Gorkha/Nepali ethnic when the International pressure grew in Bhutan regarding exiled Bhutanese. Bhutanese refugees in Nepal by Professor Mahendra P.Lama 2007:22. Such behavior of the Bhutanese rulers definitely should invite the question about their nationalistic feeling. Why they should pretend to be what they are not and what right have they got to label bonafide Bhutanese as “illegal immigrants”. World community do not dare to ask when themselves are  lacking nationalist feeling- this question because they are in power.