DARJEELING: Perhaps for the first time in Darjeeling, the smaller and marginalized communities are restive, demanding protection of their identity, language and culture and reservation of seats in the assembly, panchayats and the hill council. They pose a new challenge to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and the Bengal government.
Among them are tribes such as Lepcha and Bhutia. Even the Thami community, part of the larger Nepali identity, is vocal. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the ruling party in GTA, is aware of this challenge. "The memorandum of agreement on GTA mentions that," says Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri.
Not banking on GTA entirely, the Kalimpong-based Lepcha Tribal Association demands a Lepcha Development Council from the state government and is confident it will materialize. "Funds must come directly from the Centre and the state government, not through other channels," said association president L Tamsang. The Darjeeling committee president of All India Lepcha Association, Dugay Lepcha, however, thinks that the more likely outcome is special funds for Lepchas under the tribal welfare department and wants a district committee to manage it.
Lepchas, Darjeeling's sons of the soil, were once spread throughout the Hills but have now been cornered to Kalimpong subdivision. Researchers say Lepchas were pushed out when the British introduced tea in the Darjeeling and Kurseong subdivisions. "Lepchas, a proud people, didn't want to work in tea gardens," says Tamsang. Tea never reached Kalimpong in a big way. Of the 87 gardens in the Hills only eight are in Kalimpong, says Darjeeling Tea Association principal advisor Sandeep Mukherjee.
To them, neighbouring Sikkim poses a contrast. "In Sikkim, Lepcha is taught at the university level. In Darjeeling, we want it introduced at primary levels. We want reserved seats in the council and in the assembly. When panchayat polls are held in the hills, we should have reserved seats." says Dugay Lepcha.
Bhutias, originally from Tibet, are also concerned. "If we speak Tibetan in Darjeeling now, nobody will understand," says a leader of Bhutia community, a former Army officer on condition of anonymity. "Bhutias and Lepchas are in a sorry plight as they don't constitute a vote bank." The 2001 census report puts the Bhutia population in Darjeeling at 45,014 and the Lepcha population at 31,210, but the Lepchas question this. "Our population is more than 100,000. Census enumerators didn't visit the remote villages," says Darjeeling Lepcha Association general secretary Karma Lepcha.
A Bhutia-Lepcha constituency (B-L) has 12 reserved seats in the 32-member Sikkim assembly. Bhutias and Lepchas in Sikkim had cemented an understanding through the historic "treaty of brotherhood" but this has apparently not extended to Lepchas and different sub-groups of the Bhutia community in Darjeeling, say leaders of the two communities. GTA has two members from the Bhutia community and one from the Lepchas but they were elected on general seats.
Nepali writer Karna Thami, who has won a Sahitya Academy award as a translator from Bengali into Nepali, says the interest of the Thamis has been neglected as the community is small. "We don't count as a vote bank. We have our own belief and culture, but we have not been considered a scheduled tribe. We are denied facilities of reservation," he says.
Among them are tribes such as Lepcha and Bhutia. Even the Thami community, part of the larger Nepali identity, is vocal. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the ruling party in GTA, is aware of this challenge. "The memorandum of agreement on GTA mentions that," says Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri.
Not banking on GTA entirely, the Kalimpong-based Lepcha Tribal Association demands a Lepcha Development Council from the state government and is confident it will materialize. "Funds must come directly from the Centre and the state government, not through other channels," said association president L Tamsang. The Darjeeling committee president of All India Lepcha Association, Dugay Lepcha, however, thinks that the more likely outcome is special funds for Lepchas under the tribal welfare department and wants a district committee to manage it.
Lepchas, Darjeeling's sons of the soil, were once spread throughout the Hills but have now been cornered to Kalimpong subdivision. Researchers say Lepchas were pushed out when the British introduced tea in the Darjeeling and Kurseong subdivisions. "Lepchas, a proud people, didn't want to work in tea gardens," says Tamsang. Tea never reached Kalimpong in a big way. Of the 87 gardens in the Hills only eight are in Kalimpong, says Darjeeling Tea Association principal advisor Sandeep Mukherjee.
To them, neighbouring Sikkim poses a contrast. "In Sikkim, Lepcha is taught at the university level. In Darjeeling, we want it introduced at primary levels. We want reserved seats in the council and in the assembly. When panchayat polls are held in the hills, we should have reserved seats." says Dugay Lepcha.
Bhutias, originally from Tibet, are also concerned. "If we speak Tibetan in Darjeeling now, nobody will understand," says a leader of Bhutia community, a former Army officer on condition of anonymity. "Bhutias and Lepchas are in a sorry plight as they don't constitute a vote bank." The 2001 census report puts the Bhutia population in Darjeeling at 45,014 and the Lepcha population at 31,210, but the Lepchas question this. "Our population is more than 100,000. Census enumerators didn't visit the remote villages," says Darjeeling Lepcha Association general secretary Karma Lepcha.
A Bhutia-Lepcha constituency (B-L) has 12 reserved seats in the 32-member Sikkim assembly. Bhutias and Lepchas in Sikkim had cemented an understanding through the historic "treaty of brotherhood" but this has apparently not extended to Lepchas and different sub-groups of the Bhutia community in Darjeeling, say leaders of the two communities. GTA has two members from the Bhutia community and one from the Lepchas but they were elected on general seats.
Nepali writer Karna Thami, who has won a Sahitya Academy award as a translator from Bengali into Nepali, says the interest of the Thamis has been neglected as the community is small. "We don't count as a vote bank. We have our own belief and culture, but we have not been considered a scheduled tribe. We are denied facilities of reservation," he says.
TOI
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