Tribal tag a plot to dilute state demand: CPRM - ST status won't help fulfil the demand for Gorkhas' identity, says RB Rai

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Dec. 21: The CPRM today alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to dilute the demand of Gorkhaland by granting tribal status to the majority of the hill people.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had claimed on Friday that Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram had promised that 10 Gorkha communities would be granted tribal status soon and the ministry had started preparing a report that would be placed before the home ministry and the cabinet. The claim was made after a Morcha delegation, along with representatives of the communities, had met the minister in Delhi on December 19.

The 10 communities (Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunwar, Thami and Yakhha (Dewan)) make up around 55 per cent of the total population of the Darjeeling hills.

Addressing a seminar titled "Problems of our community, tribal status and our perspective" on the occasion of CPRM's 19th foundation day, R.B. Rai, the former Darjeeling MP and the president of the party, today said: "This (tribal status) is only a facility but the issue of political security is attached to the demand of Gorkhaland. Even if we get tribal status, the demand for our community's identity will not be fulfilled. The GNLF fooled the people of the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars in the past and the Morcha is doing the same."

The CPRM clarified that though it was not against the demand for tribal status, the party would vehemently protest any attempt to dilute the statehood issue.

The tribal population in the hills presently stands at around 34 per cent. If the 10 communities are granted tribal status, more than 85 per cent of the hill people would be classified as tribals.

"Unless and until we don't have our own state, our community's identity across the country will be at peril," said Rai.

The proponents of Gorkhaland have always argued that the separate state will be able to distinguish the Nepali-speaking citizens of Nepal from Nepali-speaking people of India. This, the statehood advocates maintain, will help clear the "identity crisis" of the Nepali-speaking people of India.

J.B. Rai, the vice-president of the CPRM, said: "We smell a conspiracy to derail the Gorkhaland demand by providing such facilities (tribal status). We should not get lost in such facilities over the Gorkhaland demand. We are hearing that the government is talking about granting tribal status to 10 communities. We do not believe all the 10 communities will get this status at one go. To break the unity of the Gorkhas and to dilute the Gorkhaland demand, one or two communities might be given the tribal status."

The CPRM's vice-president, however, added: "Our party president had categorically stated earlier that if any community gets tribal status we have no problems. Our only stand is that this status should not be used to dilute the statehood issue."

When the UPA was in power at the centre, the Mamata Banerjee government had sent its recommendation to grant tribal status to the 10 hill communities to the Union tribal affairs ministry. The recommendation was subsequently forwarded to the registrar-general's office under the home ministry.

An RTI query by a hill resident in June revealed that the Union ministry for tribal affairs had withdrawn the proposal of granting the ST status to the 10 communities.

The reason for the withdrawal of the proposal had not been stated. It was only mentioned that the main criteria for determining the ST status are "social and economic backwardness along with tribal characteristics". The Morcha, however, claims that the process was started once again by the NDA government.

Told about the CPRM's apprehensions, Morcha assistant secretary Binay Tamang today said: "We have supported the demand of granting tribal status to 10 hill community and the Dhimal community from the plains after a lot of thought. The tribal status will not dilute the statehood issue. We would advise the CPRM leaders to go to the Centre to find out the details of the demand, instead of passing comments, confined to their party office in Darjeeling."