The Gorkha leadership in the Darjeeling hills has made public an official communication from the central ministry of tribal affairs that could hurt the BJP in all areas where the community has a substantial population.

The communication — dated September 17, 2018 — suggests the Bengal government had since 2014 twice recommended that 11 Gorkha communities be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes but each time the Registrar General of India had not supported it.

The Union home ministry is the RGI’s parent organisation.

The demand for including hill communities in the ST list has been a long-standing one, as only around 34 per cent of these communities have been enlisted as tribals, a tag that entitles them to reservations in government jobs, education and special concessions.

Special government schemes have also been introduced for tribal people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said he would look into the issue while campaigning in north Bengal ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections.

Binay Tamang, president, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, made the communication public on Thursday.

“These documents once again expose the BJP government’s insincerity towards fulfilling the demands that the party had promised to the Gorkhas before the Lok Sabha and Assembly election(s),” Tamang said in a written statement.

The communication from the central ministry was addressed to Mahendra Thami, the general secretary of the Gorkha Janjati Kalyan Samity, an outfit formed solely for the purpose of getting the ST tag for the 11 communities.

The letter, signed by Asghar Ali, undersecretary in the ministry of tribal affairs, says: “As per approved modalities, the proposal of the State Government was sent to Registrar General of India (RGI) for comments. RGI did not support the proposal on two occasions.”

The RGI’s support is essential, as the letter itself states. It says that according to the laid-out modalities for inclusion in the ST list, “only those proposals, which have been recommended and justified by the concerned State government and concurred with/by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST) are to be considered for amendment of legislation”.

If the 11 communities — Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunuwar, Thami, Yakha (Dewan) and Dhimal — are included, it would cover more than 80 per cent of the hill population.

Another letter, addressed by the same official to Thami on August 6, 2018, said the RGI had “not supported” the proposal in 2016 and again in October 2017, or soon after the statehood agitation in the hills.

The August 6 letter also states that after the RGI had rejected the state government’s proposal sent for the first time in 2014, the Bengal government had sent another letter dated November 3, 2016, requesting reconsideration of the demand.

In Darjeeling, Morcha chief Tamang told reporters: “I will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminding of his promises and will also provide all assistance to leaders and members of the 11 communities to fight for the demand.”

A Morcha source said: “The Centre has constituted a committee to examine the demand but the committee has not yet submitted its recommendation. The committee has been missing its deadline for nearly two years now, which means they are not sincere.”

An official, however, pointed out that given the modalities laid down in the letter from the Union ministry, it remained to be seen how effective the committee’s recommendation would be, even if it was positive.

Observers say the BJP is probably trying to hold out some hope through this committee.

Tamang warned of protests in areas where Gorkhas have a presence. “If the committee again fails to submit its recommendation by missing its (October) deadline, as in the past two years, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will not take it lightly,” he said. “We will not hesitate to start a movement across the country where Gorkhas are in considerable strength if the BJP does not fulfil its promise.”