Monday, February 6 2006 12:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Siliguri: All India Schedule Caste Association (AINSCA) has threatened to move the court demanding proportionate reservation of seats in Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council under the proposed sixth schedule.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, AINSCA president K Ramudamu told reporters that the association had already voiced its demand for seat reservation to the Government of West Bengal and the Centre, the two signatories of the December 12 tripartite agreement with GNLF chief Subash Ghising offering sixth schedule status to the Council.

In the proposed council, there was no provision for seat reservation for scheduled caste community in the 32-member house.

Ten seats reserved for the tribals, 15 for non-tribals, two for minorities and rest five for the governor's nominees.

Ramudamu said that AINSCA would wait for the legal battle till the sixth schedule bill was tabled for discussion before the legislature.

Earlier, Ghising in a public meeting urged the Scheduled Caste communities to covert to tribals and get rid of the humiliation to be identified as 'lower caste'.

The conversion, he said, would give them opportunities for all round development and equal status of a Gorkha in the hills.

Ghising, however, made it clear that there was no diktat on them from the GNLF side and they were free to decide their fate.