Guwahati, Feb 6: Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) has sought reservation of 10 Gorkha-populated Assembly seats and a Parliamentary seat in Assam for the Gorkha community during the ongoing delimitation process.
The Assam state committee of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) also adopted resolutions at the 6th Triennial Conference of the Anusuchitjati Nepali Janjati Uccha Madhyamik Bidyalay at Ouguri Teok in Jorhat, aimed at seeking indigenous status, including land and political rights for the community.
Nanda Kirati Dewan, spokesperson for the Parisangh stated, “Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) Assam State Committee has released the ‘Teok Ouguri Declaration’, which states that the Assam government should recommend to reserve at least 10 Gorkha-populated Assembly constituencies and one Parliamentary constituency of Tezpur for the Gorkhas during the ongoing delimitation process.”
Notably, the delimitation process was recently initiated by the Delimitation Commission of India (DCI) and the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“This should be done so that the benefits of socio-political rights of any bonafide Indian citizen enshrined in the Constitution are extended to the indigenous Gorkha community of Assam,” Dewan said.
The Parisangh also sought intervention of Assam government to withhold extension of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) during the ongoing implementation of the Bodo Accord till land rights of the Gorkhas are ensured in the present BTR.
“The Assam government should have sought public opinion from the areas notified to be included before inclusion into BTR,” said Prakash Dahal, president of the Assam State Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh while presiding over the open session on Sunday.
“It should be done on priority basis to ensure land rights to the Gorkhas like other indigenous communities,” Dahal stressed.