Tripura CM Manik Sarkar pitches for Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling

Demand for the Sixth Schedule status for the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal is both relevant and justified, asserted Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

Delivering the Ratanlal Brahmin Memorial Lecture here Sarkar said, the status will help in bridging the gap between tribal and non-tribal communities.

He said that regional autonomy accorded to the tribal areas in Tripura has tremendously helped in bridging the gap between the tribal and non-tribal communities and the same could be achieved in West Bengal.

As per an MOU signed between the Centre, the State and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLP) earlier this month, it was agreed in principle on the need to incorporate Darjeeling hills within the Sixth Schedule. Three Sub-divisions (Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong) of the Darjeeling district are to be included under the Sixth Schedule.

Sarkar said, "When an agreement in principle has been endorsed, the West Bengal Government should ask the Centre to place the Amendment Bill in the Parliament as early as possible".

He said that the schedule is nothing but a special arrangement for the betterment of the backward and isolated communities.

The special arrangement was first conceptualised during the British Rule (1915) and later included under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

He said that it is the duty of Communist and Marxist parties to take up this initiative and help in this task.

"We have very few representatives in the house and therefore have no say. But the West Bengal Communist Party along with some other parties should take up this initiative. Marxist community, regional community, Darjeeling District community should come up for the same," said Sarkar.

He stressed on the argument that grant of Sixth Schedule status to a particular area does not mean creation of another state. Rather, it is an arrangement aimed at socio-economic cultural empowerment of the tribals, he said.

"Tripura merged with India in 1949 and was given statehood in 1958. The tribal dominated tiny State faced a tremendous influx of displaced Bengalis from the then East Pakistan and even after Bangladesh came into being. Hence, the need for a similar status was felt for the peaceful co-existence of tribal and non-tribal people", noted Sarkar. (ANI)

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