Congress accuses BJP of spreading Sikkim-Darjeeling merger issue through proxy

ISABELLA GURUNG

GANGTOK,: All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Christopher Tilak, who is on his second visit to Sikkim, accused the BJP of starting the ‘Sikkim-Darjeeling merger’ narrative instead of focusing on development of Sikkim.

“Instead of focusing on development in Sikkim, the BJP government is starting a new narrative of a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger, which threatens Article 371F, a set of special Constitutional provisions for the State of Sikkim,” said the AICC secretary at a press meet here on Tuesday.

Tilak added: “With a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger, Sikkim will become a minority compared to the population of the Darjeeling district. This agenda is promoted by the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress. The BJP is playing with the sentiments of the people of both Sikkim and Darjeeling, creating confusion.”

The AICC senior functionary maintained the SKM government is also not focused on Sikkim’s development, adding that the government should prioritize better road connectivity as tourism is the major economy driver of Sikkim. He further accused the BJP of instigating instability in Northeastern States.

“The BJP government has always instigated violence in the Northeast in one way or another. Examples include Manipur and Nagaland, and Sikkim could be next. We have been closely analysing Sikkim for the past decades, and the BJP is manipulating regional sentiments,” said Tilak.

Tilak highlighted that the past Congress governments at the Centre always worked for the benefit of Northeastern States including Sikkim.

“We will soon visit each Assembly constituency and promote our mission of saving Sikkim. We will initiate a campaign focused on educating the youth and women of Sikkim. In the next election, Congress will play a major role. Congress is concerned about the well-being of the ethnic groups in Sikkim,” he added.

Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) chairman Gopal Chettri said the controversial issue of ‘Sikkim-Darjeeling merger’ is vitiating the relationships between the two neighbours, for which the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress is to be blamed.

“Has Article 371F harmed them? We don’t want the merger. Perhaps the political party is frustrated due to the Gorkhaland issue. The Darjeeling district should obtain Gorkhaland for different opportunities. The GTA has not been a permanent solution for Darjeeling, and with a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger, Sikkim will lose Article 371F and Darjeeling will lose Gorkhaland. It is a threat to both regions. The Chief Minister’s meeting in Siliguri last year regarding the 12 left-out communities, conducted without following proper protocol, shows that Sikkim has become weak,” Chettri stated.

The SPCC president also commented on the proposed Ed Sheeran concert in Sikkim during the 50^th Statehood Day celebrations. It is a controversial topic as crores of rupees on one artist will harm the economy of Sikkim, and that money could have been used for the development of Sikkim, he said.

Since the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha came to power, the party has been backed by the BJP, leading to various controversies, Chettri added.