Showing posts with label BGJSM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BGJSM. Show all posts

Signature campaign for 11 gorkha communities demanding tribal status

7:27 AM
Darjeeling 9 May 2016 The Bharatiya Gorkha Janjati Sangarsha Mahasangh, an umbrella organisation of 11 hill communities demanding tribal status, today announced it would organise a signature campaign in various parts of the country to garner support and to create pressure on the Centre.

The BGJSM’s demand is for according tribal status to the Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunwar, Thami and Yakha (Dewan) communities from the hills and the Dhimals from the plains of Siliguri. The organisation, which is affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, asserted that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bagdogra and Birpara on April 7 to campaign for the state Assembly election, he had said the process for granting tribal status to the 11 communities had started.



Signature campaign for 11 hill communities demanding tribal status
Signature campaign for 11 gorkha communities demanding tribal status
Through the planned signature campaign, the Mahasangh wants not only to thank the prime minister for his assurance, but also to urge him to take concrete steps in facilitating the early grant of tribal status.

The GJM had initiated the demand for issuing granting tribal status to those communities that had been left out. Presently, the Bhutia, Sherpa, Yolmo, Lepcha and Tamang communities come under the tribal category. GJM leaders have also placed the demand in several bipartite and tripartite meetings as the matter also figures in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration agreement.

BGJSM president Kanchan Gurung said, “The signature campaign has actually started already from May 7 beginning from Lebong and the next day it was held in Mirik. We conducted the campaign today along Hill Cart Road in Darjeeling town. We are getting a good response from the people.”

The BGJSM maintained that the signature campaign was being undertaken solely after the announcement by the prime minister and refused to comment on a recent government circular that stated a committee has been formed to look into the demand. On April 2 this year, the Union tribal affairs ministry issued an order stating it had decided to constitute a committee which would be headed by Ashok Pal, joint secretary to the tribal affairs ministry, for examining and making recommendations on the issue of granting tribal status to the 11 communities in question.

“We do not want to comment on the formation of the committee as it is official work requiring due process. All we have to say is that no matter what, we should get tribal status. And we feel that through the signature campaign we want to tell the prime minister to grant it as soon as possible,” said Gurung, adding the list of signatures garnered would be sent to the prime minister on a regular basis.

The BGJSM also said that after the Assembly election results on May 19, they would hold a meeting with GJM chief Bimal Gurung to plan future programmes. They will also try to meet central ministers and the prime minister too if possible, to pursue the much sought-after demand.


(EOIC)

Bharatiya Gorkha Janjati Sangharsh Mahasangh in Delhi on December 17 to press their demand

10:30 AM
At the call of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive Bimal Gurung,  members of the newly formed Bharatiya Gorkha Janjati Sangharsh Mahasangh (BGJSM), comprising 10 communities from the hills of Darjeeling, will be in Delhi on December 17 to press their demand for inclusion of these communities in the list of scheduled tribes.
Bharatiya Gorkha Janjati Sangharsh Mahasangh in Delhi on December 17 to press their demand
“We have been called to Delhi by the GJM president to meet concerned ministers on December 17. We have been asked to take one member each from the 10 communities, to get a grip of what is happening with our demand, for ourselves. We will be leaving for Delhi today”. BGJSM president Kanchan Gurung said on Monday.

“Darjeeling MP S.S.Ahluwalia who is presently also in Delhi will facilitate our meetings with ministers and officials, there,” he said. The BJP leader has backed the GJM demand and also taken up the issue in the Centre.

In August, Gurung had met union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram in Delhi and took up the demand for conferring tribal status to 11 communities of the Hills including one from plains. He had also submitted relevant documents to strengthen the demand.
On his return to Darjeeling, the GTA chief executive had met members of the 11 communities and apprised them about the development in Delhi. He had then also promised to invite these communities to Delhi to meet concerned ministers to take forward the demand. “A lot of positive inroad has been made in regard to the demand of conferring tribal status to ten communities from the Hills. We are doing everything for speedy implementation. In fact, when I go to Delhi next time, I will invite representatives from these communities to Delhi to meet concerned ministers to see for their own what is happening,” Gurung had than said.
The 10 communities from the Hills are Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunwar, Thami, and Yakkha Dewan and Dhimal from the plains of Dooars.
The demand for tribal status to the Hills communities is also mentioned the 2011 GTA agreement which was signed by the state and central government. The agreement says that all Gorkha communities of the Hills excepting the Schedule Caste will be conferred tribal status.
The BGJSM president before leaving for Delhi said that he was hopeful of a positive outcome from the visit. “Each of us has been struggling for the demand on our own ways for a long time but without any result. None of the other political parties of the Hills have either lent support or facilitated our endeavor. But, this time we are hopeful and our anticipation high that with the GJM backing our demand, our effort will bear fruit,” he said.
Interestingly, in February this year, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had taken up the issue and made a recommendation to the Centre to enlist 10 Hills communities in the tribal status category. However, replying to a RTI filed by an individual, the tribal welfare ministry in June rejected the state government’s recommendation.

Source: EOI
 
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