The Lepchas are an ethnic community on the verge of extinction. The ethnic community, which has also been demanding a separate province on the basis of historical precedence, has said that they would not want to be represented by any political party in the CA. [break]
The Lepchas had been represented in the erstwhile CA by two community members, who had been elected on the basis of proportional representation. However, both the members -- Sakuntala Lepcha and Tika Ram Lepcha - had been nominated by CPN-UML and Nepali Congress respectively. The Lepchas now complain that their leaders followed the agenda of the parties that nominated them and that they now want independent representation.
“The leaders chosen by the parties could not voice our grievances. So, in the upcoming election, independent candidates from our community should be chosen to represent us in the CA,” said Prem Lepcha, former president of Lepcha Development Forum (LDP).
Likewise, LDP President Bir Bahadur Lepcha said that their community should be allowed to choose their own candidates. He also warned they would take to the streets if their demand is not addressed.
The ethnic group, with total population of around 3,000, has also been demanding a separate ethnic province. They claim that kings from the Lepcha community had ruled the eastern part of the country in the distant past and that districts like Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung have Lepcha names.
According to the District Development Committee (DDC), Ilam, people from the Lepcha community reside in 15 VDCs of the district, including Panchakanya, Fikal and Namsaling, among others. The DDC puts the total population of Lepcha community at 3,213. Of them, 1,531 are females and 1,682 are males.
The Lepcha community, which has been demanding representation at the policy level, is, however, largely uneducated. Only three people so far from the community have made it as teachers.
Prem Lepcha said only two or three people in the community have completed graduation and that only a few had passed School Level Certificate examinations.
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