Lepchas want seat reservation in Bengal Assembly, Rajya Sabha

Kolkata, Aug 11 : The aboriginal Lepchas, who are facing near-extinction, have demanded reservation of a seat each in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and Rajya Sabha and a separate development board for their integrated community development in Darjeeling district.
The Lepchas Rights Movement (LRM), which is spearheading agitation for social justice for the ancient tribe, today claimed that their future in the hands of the proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) will be bleak as it was during the rule of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council under Gorkha National Liberation Front's supremo Subash Ghishing.
After a rally in the city yesterday, some 200 Lepchas from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri wearing traditional costumes under the banner of LRM began an indefinite silent sit-in-demonstration under the open sky at Raja Subodh Mullick Square (Wellington Square) in central Kolkata from Wednesday.
LRM chief coordinator Norbu Tsering Lepcha told UNI that they were yet to be given a permission for erecting a shamiyana (a shade) by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) despite officially sought for.
The LRM said the Lepcha community was now most vulnerable and its existence in Bengal was highly threatened.
''It is estimated that in the next 20 years with same government policies the community will perish forever, as the Lepchas are about 1.5 lakh in number in West Bengal and mainly concentrated in Kalimpong,'' the LRM stated.
Mr Lepcha said their brothers in Sikkim have been flourishing after seat reservation in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly and language recognition, though the former Chogyal kingdom merged with India in 1975.
'' But here since independence the Lepchas have been treated like an alien despite they have rich cultural heritage, custom, tradition,'' said Mr Lepcha.
''Today despite the best effort by the community to conserve its language, culture, tradition and enhance economic standard, not a single favourable policy is in place for the very existence of the Lepcha tribe,'' he elaborated.
''The effort by a community is not enough in a system where government establishes the policy framework for general environment and also on every aspect of life,'' Mr Lepcha added.
He said they have no objection to the formation of the GTA, but ''Our main focus is on three issues -- set up a separate Lepcha development council/board for protection of language, culture, tradition and economic development, (II) introduction Lepcha language informal education system, and (III) representation of West Bengal assembly and the Rajya Sabha.
The LRM, which has already submitted its memorandum to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in July last, said it would continue to sit-in-demonstration in the city until a favourable response they get from the government.

--UNI