The Bhutan State Congress was, fora few years, to make big waves on the placid surface of Bhutanese politics. The Party's rise and fall is instructive for the study of Lhotshampa exile-politics of today. Inspired by Indian independence in 1947, opposition to the rulers of Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan began to organise politically, using the Indian National Congress as a model. The Nepali Congress Party, the Sikkim State Congress, and the Bhutan State Congress were formed.
The Bhutan State Congress was established in Goalpara, Assam, by a group of Nepali Bhutanese 'refugees' led by D.B. Gurung, D.B. Chhetri and G.P. Sharma. Initially, the Congress was more like an association organised for redressal of Nepali-speakers' grievances against the government. Later, however, more serious demands were included in the Charter, including the abolition of Bhutan's feudal system of Government, democratisation of the administration, granting of civil and political rights, and closer ties with India.
The Congress might have extended its activities clandestinely into the Bhutanese foothills. It claimed to represent Nepali-speakers who, it said, made up 64 per cent of the population. However, it made no serious effort to extend its activities into the higher valleys and to enroll Drukpas as its members. In 1958, the party submitted a petition to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on his way overland to Bhutan.
The Nepalis, divided among themselves on caste and tribal lines, had settled down in the Bhutanese foothills after strenuous efforts. Many of them, unaware of the democratic, civil and political rights, were not willing to take the risk of losing their land and shelter by supporting the cause of a vague forum of doubtful credibility.