Bharat Basnet urges unity amid Sikkim-Darjeeling merger issue

KUNAL RAI

GANGTOK, : Amid the ongoing political discourse surrounding ‘Sikkim-Darjeeling Merger’ issue, former MP candidate and ex-president of Citizen Action Party  Bharat Basnet has called for unity among all Sikkimese people to safeguard the State’s interests.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Basnet emphasized that the unification demand raised by the Darjeeling-based GorkhaRashtriya Congress, citing the 1835 British-era treaty, holds no legal or constitutional relevance today.

He asserted that the 1950 Indo-Sikkim Friendship Treaty nullified all previous treaties signed during British rule and with Sikkim’s merger into the Indian Union in 1975, the State was granted special constitutional protection under Article 371F.

Basnet criticized the ongoing debate, stating that instead of celebrating Sikkim’s golden jubilee of its merger with India, both ruling and opposition political parties are engaging in unnecessary discussions. He highlighted Sikkim’s strategic importance as a border State sharing frontiers with China, Bhutan and Nepal, and praised the people of Sikkim for maintaining peace for the past five decades.

Urging the Government of India to recognize this milestone, he called for measures such as waiving Sikkim’s debt, restoring lost Nepali seats in Sikkim Legislative Assembly and reinstating all diluted provisions of Article 371F. He also urged the State government to convene a special Assembly session to focus on development and progress.

With regards to Sikkim Darjeeling merger, Bharat Basnet said, “We share brotherhood, culture, language and attire along with all the pain and pathos of the people of Darjeeling but this kind of unwarranted issues will only strain the strong brotherhood between Sikkim and Darjeeling.”