Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung has welcomed the state cabinet’s recommendation of granting tribal status to various communities of the hills and urged the central government to expedite the process.
The GJM has been demanding Schedule Tribal (ST) status for 10 Gorkha communities, namely Rai, Yakkha, Gurung, Bhujel, Newar, Jogi, Sunwar Mukhia, Mangar, Khas and Thami. It had taken up the issue with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her latest visit to the hills, and with the central government on several occasions.
A Facebook post by Gurung reads, "I am happy that the state cabinet has recommended names of the 10 communities for ST status. I now appeal to the central government to expedite the issue and grant the status as soon as possible. The Centre now must take steps to grant ST status to all the Gorkha sub-communities, except those belonging to the Scheduled Caste.”
GJM assistant secretary Jyoti Rai, however, said the party has not received any official communication from the state government.
"We have not received any official confirmation yet. But if it is true, it is good news as this was a long-pending demand of ours," he said. "We had taken up the matter with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Richmond Hill when she was here last year. She had given us a positive assurance then."
The GJM assistant secretary also said the Central Cabinet must work towards granting ST status now.
"The backward class affairs and the Central Cabinet must grant our demand, which is justified and a longstanding one. Let us see what happens," said Rai.
When reminded that the Gorkha National Liberation Front too had made a similar demand by placing the Darjeeling hills under the ambit of the Sixth Schedule, the GJM leader said, "We want people to be accorded scheduled tribe status. What is the use of only the land coming under tribal status?"
The GNLF has been demanding Sixth Schedule for the Darjeeling hills. An MOU was signed in 2005 to this effect, but the bill was scrapped in Parliament after the BJP opposed it. In fact, the Sixth Schedule demand turned out to be the bane of the GNLF as the hills erupted against it in 2008 resulting in the virtual disappearance of the party.
Meanwhile, a five-member delegation led by GJM general secretary Roshan Giri today met RPN Singh, minister of state for home affairs, and tabled the statehood demand. The delegation is expected to meet Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Thursday over a number of demands.
Source: EOI
A Facebook post by Gurung reads, "I am happy that the state cabinet has recommended names of the 10 communities for ST status. I now appeal to the central government to expedite the issue and grant the status as soon as possible. The Centre now must take steps to grant ST status to all the Gorkha sub-communities, except those belonging to the Scheduled Caste.”
GJM assistant secretary Jyoti Rai, however, said the party has not received any official communication from the state government.
"We have not received any official confirmation yet. But if it is true, it is good news as this was a long-pending demand of ours," he said. "We had taken up the matter with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Richmond Hill when she was here last year. She had given us a positive assurance then."
The GJM assistant secretary also said the Central Cabinet must work towards granting ST status now.
"The backward class affairs and the Central Cabinet must grant our demand, which is justified and a longstanding one. Let us see what happens," said Rai.
When reminded that the Gorkha National Liberation Front too had made a similar demand by placing the Darjeeling hills under the ambit of the Sixth Schedule, the GJM leader said, "We want people to be accorded scheduled tribe status. What is the use of only the land coming under tribal status?"
The GNLF has been demanding Sixth Schedule for the Darjeeling hills. An MOU was signed in 2005 to this effect, but the bill was scrapped in Parliament after the BJP opposed it. In fact, the Sixth Schedule demand turned out to be the bane of the GNLF as the hills erupted against it in 2008 resulting in the virtual disappearance of the party.
Meanwhile, a five-member delegation led by GJM general secretary Roshan Giri today met RPN Singh, minister of state for home affairs, and tabled the statehood demand. The delegation is expected to meet Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Thursday over a number of demands.
Source: EOI
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