THE OLD SETTLERS OF SIKKIM

SDF governement violated Article 371 F – SNPP


The Sikkim National People’s Party takes strong exception to the statement made by the Chief Minister that the provisions and safeguards of article 371F are fully protected despite the holding of the Municipal elections in Sikkim. The party draws the attention of the public to the fact that Clause (b)of Article 371F gives recognition to the Assembly of Sikkim elected in 1974 and reads as follows:
(b) as from the date of commencement of the Constitution (Thirty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1975 (hereafter in this article referred to as the appointed day)-
(i) the Assembly for Sikkim formed as a result of the elections held in Sikkim in April, 1974 with thirty-two members elected in the said elections (hereinafter referred to as the sitting members) shall be deemed to be the Legislative Assembly of the State of Sikkim duly constituted under this Constitution;
(ii) the sitting members shall be deemed to the members of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Sikkim duly elected under this Constitution; and
(iii) the said Legislative Assembly of the State of Sikkim shall exercise the powers and perform the functions of the Legislative Assembly of a State under this Constitution;

The Party wishes to reiterate that this Assembly of 1974 was elected with seats reserved for the Sikkimese of Nepali Origin (SNO) and was recognized by the Indian Constitution. Despite this fact the seat reservations for the SNO’s were done away with fraudulently and against the objectives and spirit of the 8th May Agreement of 1973. Despite the fact that the Nepali seats were declared general, for the last three decades there was an “unwritten understanding” that these general seats were for the SNO’s and no political party had come forward to break this understanding. But today the SDF Government by officially giving party tickets to non-SNO’s has not only completely violated the spirit of Article 371F, which calls for equality of treatment among all Sikkimese, but also directly affected the sentiments of the SNO’s, of which the CM himself is a member. It can be seen that the Chief Minister has never taken up the issue of restoration of seat for the SNO’s in the past and now in one blow he has opened the floodgates for a period of turbulence in Sikkimese politics by making the SNO’s even more insecure..

The party has already condemned and boycotted the Municipal Elections due to the fact that Article 371F is being repeatedly violated both in letter and in spirit, and with the distribution of the party tickets by the ruling SDF, a new and dangerous twist has been introduced to the never ending attack on the identity of the Sikkimese with scant regards to the one and only agreement which the Sikkimese people have with the Government of India.

The party therefore resolves:

1. To condemn the recently held Municipal elections as a meaningless exercise and a direct attack on the identity of the Sikkimese of Nepali Origin and appeals to the people of Sikkim to boycott and not co-operate with these new institutions which have been thrust upon the people trampling their Constitutional Guarantees.

source:voice of Sikkim