HSP & SRP teams up for Nepali seats & ILP in Sikkim

BIJOY GURUNG

‘Sikkim needs clean, committed leaders for Sikkimese political protection’
GANGTOK, : In a major political development, Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) and Sikkim Republican Party (SRP) has teamed up to jointly campaign for restoration of Constitutional provisions for Nepali seats in Sikkim Legislative Assembly and implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) here.
Addressing a joint press meet on Wednesday, HSP president Bhaichung Bhutia and SRP president KB Rai shared that both the regional political parties have been advocating on similar issues from their respective platforms but now, have agreed to move ahead collectively in coming days. We are different parties but our issues and demands are similar as they are based on Article 371F, they said.
The two leaders, to media questions, said both HSP and SRP would be going together to the people with the issues of Nepali seats and ILP implementation in Sikkim. “We will also seek their opinions on the way forward. If people want, we will continue speaking from our own platforms or if people desire so, we can form an alliance as a political alternative with a new culture of politics. We can also come up as a hybrid, discuss its organisational structure and inform the people accordingly,” they added.
Both Bhaichung and KB Rai maintained that their respective political parties are not off-shoots from the same political root like other regional political parties in Sikkim. We want to break this political tradition in Sikkim wherein the leaders of political parties have basically come from the same party, he said.
‘Nepali seats crucial for protection of all’
In his address, the SRP president asserted that unless the majority Sikkimese Nepali community is protected through political reservation, the minority community is also not secure.
“We used to have Nepali seats in the Assembly since 1952 but it was done away by the Parliament in 1979. The main aim of Article 371F was to give political protection to all the Sikkimese communities. Our previous generation of politicians were weak and all those who ruled Sikkim so far did not take any initiative to restore the lost Nepali seats. They were not honest.”
“Consequently, we do not have Nepali seats in the Assembly even today and if the majority community is not protected then the minority community is also not secure. Our special laws can be gradually taken away. Nepali seats are important for every community in Sikkim,” said Rai.
Rai reminded the SKM government that while as an opposition, it used to vociferously pitch for Nepali seats’ restoration. “Now this party has been running the government for four years but what have they done so far? Did they raise the Nepali seats issue in the past just to play with the emotions of the majority community? This shows that they were dishonest to the Nepali community and such party should not stay in the government for a long time. They have no right to talk about Nepali seats,” he said.
“If people give us the mandate, we will restore the provisions for Nepali seats in the Assembly. No one in HSP and SRP has faced corruption allegations. We can speak without fear with the Union government in Delhi as we are not in politics for power and money,” said Rai.
‘We are not asking for something new, Nepali seats is possible’
On his part, Bhaichung said HSP and SRP are not asking for anything new as there used to be Nepali seats in the Assembly till 1979. “It was already there in past and we are asking that it should be restored. Till the Nepali seats are restored, there will be lingering distrust among the Nepali and Bhutia-Lepcha communities. We must collectively work for the seats and ensure that all members of the family get their rightful share,” he said.
The HSP president maintained that restoration of Nepali seats is “possible”.
“This is possible but we need sincere leaders who can go to Delhi and strongly fight for our lost seats. Many say it is not possible but I say it is possible. Even the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was said to be impossible 40 years ago but today the mandir is there. For this a sincere and clean political party is needed here who can take this forward strongly in Delhi. Our present leaders are doing politics only for power and money. We need to act fast as there is delimitation happening in 2026.”
To a question on whether HSP-SRP combination can achieve the Nepali seats, Bhaichung said: “For this, people need to give us one opportunity and the mandate to run Sikkim. We will pass resolutions in the Assembly and go to Delhi in a strong manner. No one in HSP and SRP has faced corruption allegations and we are committed to this agenda.”
Bhaichung drew attention to the threat posed by influx in Sikkim.
“There has been a massive growth in the number of voters in Sikkim even though our fertility rate is the lowest in the nation. There are more than 2 lakh workers from outside in Sikkim and tomorrow, if they shift their voters here then imagine how drastically the demography will change. For this we need protection for our local communities and hence we are demanding Nepali seats,” he said.
‘ILP will not stop tourism in Sikkim’
Bhaichung said the second important demand of the two parties is implementation of ILP in Sikkim.
“ILP is the need of the hour for Sikkim. It is crucial for national security as Sikkim shares its borders with three countries and Bangladesh is also not very far away. It is also important to stop the rising influx in Sikkim,” said the HSP president.
Regarding the concerns that ILP would have an adverse impact on the State’s tourism sector, Bhaichung asserted that ILP system will never stop tourism inflow to Sikkim.
“I think such concerns are completely false, ILP will never stop tourism. In fact, quality tourism is possible through ILP which can provide checks and balances. ILP will also give data so that we can understand our carrying capacity and avoid tourism inflow beyond our infrastructure,” said the HSP president.
“For example, if getting permits impact tourism then tourists would not be interested in going to Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake) and Nathu La where you need permits. 99% of the tourists coming to Gangtok go to Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La because of snowfall, lake and beautiful scenery. Has a single tourist said they won’t go because they need to take permits?”, countered Bhaichung.