Darjeeling MP Raju Bista today said he took up the issues of inclusion of 11 left-out Gorkha communities in the Scheduled Tribe list with his party president Jagat Prakash Nadda in Delhi.

However, in Darjeeling, Mr Bista’s claim was quickly countered by leaders of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha and the Trinamul Congress. “Party president Jagat Prakash Nadda has assured me that the process for the inclusion of 11 left-out Gorkha communities as ST has already been initiated and that our BJP party is strongly committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people of our region, as promised in 2019 Sankalp Patra (manifesto),” Mr Bista said.

“Among the important issues that came up during the course of our discussions were the Sankalp Patra commitments made by the BJP in 2019–Permanent  Political Solution to the long-pending demands of the people from Darjeeling hills, Siliguri Terai and Dooars and the inclusion of the 11 left-out Gorkha communities in Schedule Tribe list of India,” Mr Bista added.

However, Morcha leader Mr Tamang said that it was only after one year and one month after he won the elections that Mr Bista took up these two demands with their party president.

“As far as the demand of tribal status to 11 communities goes, the RGI has already said that it does not fuilfill the modalities and has rejected it, according to an RTI done in the year 2018,” Mr Tamang said.

“Bista has also said that he has taken up the issue of a permanent political solution and I want to question him as to why he cannot openly call it the demand for Gorkhaland. He must be clear as to what he means by permanent political solution as for the Gorkha community in the Hills, Terai and Dooars it means Gorkhaland within the Indian union,” he added.

“The issues come to the mind of our MP whenever there is an election. BJP’s National President did not promise anything, but gave assurances… It is very clear no work has been done on the issues of our aspirations. For how long in the name of assurance will you keep duping the janta? How long should people believe in your false assurances?” Mr Tamang said.

A TMC leader in the Hills, Binny Sharma, said that it is high time that the BJP walked the talk. “It has always been assurances, and they are always trying to divert the attention of the Hill people. We have seen this in the last 15 years. But the people in the Hills have now become aware,” he said.

Mr Sharma further said that if Mr Bista was so concerned about the Hill people, why did he not write letters to the Centre about implementing the Garib Rojgar Yojana in the state?