Gaddi leaders hold rally in Dharamsala

Dharamsala, April 7

The Himalayan Gaddi Union, a group of six sub-castes of Himachal Pradesh’s Gaddi community, today held a rally at Dharamsala to press for their inclusion in the Gaddi community in revenue records. The community leaders urged political parties to give them tickets in Assembly bypolls or threatened to support their candidates as Independents.

Thousands of people from six sub-castes of the Gaddi community gathered in traditional attire Nuachri-Cholu at Zorawar Singh ground at Sidhbari in Dharamsala to press for their demands. The union members said that they had been victims of neglect for the last 75 years.

The six sub-castes of the Gaddi community – Sippy, Dhogri, Rihade, Wadi, Hali and Lohar – are being deprived of the word ‘Gaddi’ in revenue record, which is merely a revenue error, the union members said.

Himalayan Gaddi Union state president Mohindra Singh said, “The word Gaddi had earlier been attached to the six deprived sub-castes of the Gaddi community in the revenue records, but was later removed. I have met the previous government 19 times, and the present Sukhu government four times.”

“Because the demands of the union have been repeatedly ignored, steps would have to be taken now to bring as many people as possible from the sub-castes to the doors of the Assembly,” he said.

Appealing political parties to give them tickets, he announced that many people from the sub-castes are ready to contest the Assembly byelections. He said that a large number of people belonging to the deprived Gaddi sub-castes live in 17 Assembly seats falling in Kangra parliamentary constituency.

During the rally, about a dozen state executive members reiterated their demand for adding the word ‘Gaddi’ to the six-sub castes in revenue records. They further raised the point that these sub-castes of the Gaddi community were being used as a vote bank only for political gain by political parties, but their demand for inclusion in Gaddi community in revenue papers was not being met. On this occasion, dozens of folk artistes performed their traditional songs and dance.