‘Jagaran Yatra to educate masses of how BJP hoodwinked Gorkhas’
Darjeeling: The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) will launch a ‘Jagaran Yatra,’ door-to-door in the Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars to make the people aware of how the Union government failed to live up to its commitment made to the Gorkhas.
Protests and dharnas broke out in the Darjeeling Hills on Monday against the Union government for having failed to include 11 Gorkha communities in the Scheduled Tribe list. The BGPM also sent a letter to the Prime Minister reiterating this demand.
The BGPM flagged off three-day-long dharna programmes in front of the DM offices in Darjeeling and Kalimpong and the SDO offices in Kurseong and Mirik on Monday. Anit Thapa, president, BGPM, taking part in the dharna in Darjeeling, stated: “We will launch a Jagaran Yatra throughout the Hills, Terai and Dooars after the three-day-long dharna programme. We will visit door-to-door in every village to make the people aware of what we got from the BJP in the past 15 years. Except empty promises, nothing. The Jagaran Yatra will continue till each and everyone becomes aware of the reality,” stated Thapa.
“The Gorkhas are not secure. We have to stand up united and ensure that our rights are secured. The BJP party has done nothing for the Gorkhas so far and will not do anything in future also. They tried to destroy regionalism and regional parties, attempting to win Panchayat elections without having any presence or organisational strength, just by riding piggyback on some hill parties,” stated Thapa.
The BGPM president, addressing the gathering, stated as to how the BJP had hoodwinked the Hills for the past 15 years, making empty promises and security electoral victories.
“With elections round the corner, they will come again and will try to hoodwink us again with empty promises. We have to be cautious,” stated Thapa. He also pulled up the BJP led Union government for skipping the Nepali language as a medium to write examinations for the recruitment examination of Central Police Forces, though other languages were included. “They don’t even want to give employment to the Gorkhas,” retorted Thapa.
The BGPM sent a letter to the Prime Minister in which they wrote that they welcome the inclusion of Pahari ethnic group and other communities in the ST list of Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating the long standing demand for the inclusion of 11 Hill Tribes, left out in the ST list.
“We would also like to reiterate that the members of these ethnic groups are also similarly placed in remoteness, backwardness and in urgent need of social and economic development,” stated the letter.
