GJM demands ST status for Darjeeling Gorkhas
Sikkim Mail
New Delhi: January 10, 2012
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Tuesday demanded Scheduled Tribes status for all Gorkhas living in Darjeeling and immediate release of Central funds promised for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). These demands were placed by the GJM at a tripartite meeting held on 9th January with the Central and West Bengal governments.
While talking to Sikkim Mail, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said that cultural research survey has been carried out, and the file in under process in the Tribal Ministry, Government of India. “All the communities of Darjeeling will be named as STs except the SCs. We want that Gorkhas living in Darjeeling should be given the ST status,” said Giri.
Giri also said that the tribal status is not a new demand and it is enshrined in the GTA memorandum. It is also the part of the memorandum. The detailed plan estimates worth Rs 93 crore for carrying out development
works has been submitted to the Central government and a representation has been given to release the funds at the earliest. The money is part of the Rs 200-crore package the Centre announced for the development of Darjeeling hills and its adjoining areas.
A tripartite draft memorandum of agreement on Darjeeling was signed in July for creation of the new hill council GTA. It still remains interesting to witness the future plans and formulations of the GTA.
Former chief minister and CPI-M politburo leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said in a party rally in Harinavi in this West Bengal district on Tuesday that West Bengal government has committed a blunder by signing the GTA pact.
This has strengthened the hands of the GJM. Darjeeling, which is on the boil, will soon erupt as the GJM will resume its demand for a separate state and resort to its violent ways. But somewhere down the line it is understood the central and the WB government have been successful in fulfilling the demands of the hill people. If the ST demands were incorporated in the GTA memorandum, why was the administration lacking behind?
In comparison with Sikkim which got the statehood in 1975, there have been many difficulties in the creation of additional ST communities. The GJM demands of ST status seems to be vague under GTA
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