The Union cabinet’s recent decision to confer Scheduled Tribe status on a number of communities in five states and not on the Gorkhas of Darjeeling hills in Bengal and Koch-Rajbanshis of BJP-ruled Assam has led to a deep sense of disappointment in people of the latter two communities.

Representatives of their various political parties and organisations have already begun asking why the Narendra Modi government is dithering on granting ST status to 11 communities of the Gorkhas of the Darjeeling hills and the Koch-Rajbanshis of lower Assam. Koch-Rajbanshis stay in both Bengal and Assam, but only those from Assam have been seeking the ST status.

“The decision clearly shows that the BJP government at the Centre is not sincere about meeting the aspirations of the hill residents. They are providing The ST status to other people while depriving the communities of Darjeeling hills,” said Amar Lama, the general secretary of Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha.

Last Wednesday, the Union cabinet approved a proposal to grant ST status to various communities dwelling in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Among these include the Hatti community of Himachal, the Betta-Kuruba community of Karnataka, the Narikuravars of Tamil Nadu and the Gonds, along with their five sub-castes, who live in Uttar Pradesh.

BP Sharma.

Veteran political leaders of Darjeeling hills said that even in the census report of 1941, 11 hill communities — which include Gurung, Bhujel, Mangar, Newar, Thami and Khas — were considered as STs. In due course, they got derecognised.

“None other than Union home minister Amit Shah had assured us that the demand would be met. It is disappointing that the Centre didn’t even consider it once while granting similar status to the communities living in other states,” said a senior Gorkha leader.

On Friday, B.P. Sharma, the BJP legislator of Kurseong, urged the Mamata Banerjee government in the Bengal Assembly to take up the issue with the Centre.

“I have extensively worked on the issue and have found that due to certain gaps in the proposal that was sent by the state, it was not concurred by the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. I would request the state to send a comprehensive proposal again after plugging the gaps,” Sharma said in the Assembly.

The central decision sparked protests in a number of locations in some areas of lower Assam since Friday.In Kokrajhar, the effigies of the Prime Minister and the Union home minister were burnt by Koch-Rajbanshis who claimed that despite assurances from the Centre, when it came to the ST status, they had been overlooked.

“It is disappointing that the Prime Minister disregarded our longstanding demand. We want to make it clear that if the demand is not met soon, we will launch an extensive movement,” said a representative of Koch Rajbanshi Sangram Samiti based in Assam.

On Friday, some of the associations which represent the community in Assam announced that they would observe a general strike in the state next week. On Saturday and Sunday too, some groups of Koch-Rajbanshis put up roadblocks for brief periods in lower Assam.