The Darjeeling Debate Subrata Nagchoudhury Posted online: Friday, December 07, 2007 at 0000 hrs The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council wants the Darjeeling hill areas to be given tribal areas status. Those who oppose this move claim that this is not possible as tribals are in a minority there. So, what is the real story? Subrata Nagchoudhury sorts out the issues • What is the controversy about the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (107th) Amendment Bill? There are basically two points of contention over the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (107th) Amendment) Bill 2007. First, the BJP has objected to the way the bill was being introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, without referring it to either the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, of which Sushma Swaraj is the chairman, or to the Rajya Sabha. The BJP, therefore, dubbed it a “backdoor” attempt to ensure the passage of the legislation. The second...
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