Time to reinstate Gorkha 'tribe' status: Bista: Gorkha community had patiently waited for justice for a long time

SNS, SILIGURI, 5 AUGUST 21 :Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju Bista has said that he has requested the Union Government to expedite the process of granting Schedule Tribe status to Gorkhaswithout causing any further delay.

Raising the issue under Rule 377 of the Parliament, Mr Bista highlighted how the "patriotism and valour of Gorkha community is not hidden from anyone."

"However, what is hidden is their struggles and their deprivation. I informed the Parliament that the Gorkha community was compositely recognised as the "Hill Tribes" till Independence. However, after Independence the "Hill Tribes" status of the Gorkha community was taken away, without any consultation with the community members," Mr Bista said in a release.

According to him, over the course of time, out of the 18 sub-tribes (not including those who are recognised as SCs) seven have been accorded ST status, two as recently as 2001.

"But 11 Gorkha sub-tribes are still struggling for the recognition of their identity. This has caused the left-out Gorkha sub-tribes to be socially marginalised and deprived of their rights. I informed the House that in January 2021, Sikkim State Assembly has passed a resolution in favour of granting ST status to these 11 left-out Gorkha sub-tribes. I also stated that the West Bengal State Cabinet has passed a resolution to include these 11 left-out Gorkha sub-tribes as ST in 2014 itself. However, there has been in ordinate delay in completing the process," Mr Bista added.

According to him, he told Parliament that the Gorkha community had patiently waited for justice for a long time, and that he strongly feels that the time has come to reinstate the 11 left-out Gorkha sub-tribes as Schedule Tribes.

"I believe, doing so will not only help in correcting a historical wrong, but it will also permit the Gorkha people to preserve their unique cultural and traditional heritage. Most importantly, this will help provide the Gorkhas with Constitutional protection. While there has been a considerable delay in the completion of granting ST status for Gorkhas, I am confident that the Government of India will expedite the process and give the Gorkha community the long-awaited justice," Mr Bista said.