Darjeeling, Jan. 20: After Lord Vishwakarma and Goddess Durga, it is time for Saraswati to turn to stone.

The GNLF today issued a diktat to the hill people to worship a shila (stone) during Saraswati Puja to demonstrate the ?tribal character? of residents here so that it conforms to the Sixth Schedule demand.

GNLF Darjeeling Branch Committee president Deepak Gurung was cryptic in his summation of the directive. ?All the people will worship the shila,? he said. Then after a moment?s silence, he added ?Sixth Schedule?, before keeping down the phone.

Ever since Subash Ghisingh, raised the demand for a Sixth Schedule status, he has consistently maintained that all ?hill people? are tribals who are banbo (nature) worshippers.

This is not the first time that the hill people have been asked to worship shilas. During Vishwakarma puja, the party had called upon the people to replace the idols with shilas and the same directive was issued for Durga Puja.

While there were no protests from residents, many of them used picture frames of the god and goddess during the pujas instead of the idols. This time too, a similar thing is expected.

This speaks volumes about the GNLF?s ability to sway the hills, and as expected, Ghisingh?s supporters will make a beeline to the nearby rivers to identity the shila to be worshipped during Saraswati Puja.

Interestingly, the puja is usually organised by schoolchildren. It is yet to be seen if the children too are forced to toe the party line. If they are, it will not come as a surprise to anyone.