They (the committee) are roaming here before the election, doing a routine job,” the chief minister said, adding that he saw no point in meeting the panel members. The 11 Nepali-speaking communities seeking tribal status are Rai, Mangar, Gurung, Thami, Bhujel, Jogi, Sanyasi, Giri, Newar, Khas and Dewan (Yakha). Tshering will also meet those from Darjeeling demanding the tribal status during its visit. According to the norms, ST status is granted to communities through amendments to the list of Scheduled Tribes. In recent times, the chief minister has made public his disappointment with the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly turning a deaf ear to many demands of Sikkim, including granting of ST status to the 11 communities.

Source: The Telegraph January 08, 2019 20:15 UTC