Hamro Sikkim Party leader raises concerns about dilution of Article 371F, demands resignation of BJP and SKM MLAs

Sikkim's safety net has been severely diluted by the recently passed Finance Bill 2023, which became an Act on March 31, 2023, after the signature of the President of India and publication in the Gazette of India. In a press statement, Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) leader has raised serious concerns about the dilution of Article 371F, which protects the special identity of Sikkim.

According to the HSP, the amendment has added two new categories to the definition of Sikkimese, completely taking away the special identity of Sikkimese. HSP leader has accused both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), both parties of the double-engine government, of being equally responsible for the dilution of Article 371F.

The HSP leader further alleged that the BJP and SKM have betrayed the trust of the people of Sikkim and have undermined their cultural and social identity. The dilution of Article 371F, according to the HSP, disrespects the historical significance of Sikkim's merger with India in 1975.

The HSP leader traced the beginning of the dilution of Article 371F to the State and Central Governments' decision to give a no-objection certificate to the Supreme Court of India to extend the definition of Sikkimese. The ignorance of the governments, according to the HSP, had also caused a foreigner tag on the Sikkimese Nepali community for which they apologized in the Supreme Court but never apologized to the people of Sikkim.

The HSP leader alleged that the Finance Minister of the BJP bulldozed the Finance Bill in Parliament without any discussion, and the SKM MP did not oppose the Bill or even write an application to hold on to this particular amendment. This was the first time in the history of India that the ruling party had disrupted Parliament.

The HSP has demanded that all BJP and SKM MLAs resign from their posts immediately, as they have lost the moral right to represent the people of Sikkim. The HSP believes that the people of Sikkim deserve a government that respects and upholds their unique cultural identity and heritage, and they should stop at all costs the lateral entry and backdoor entry of BJP in Sikkim using money and muscle power and by using greedy politicians who want to hang on to power even after getting convicted in a corruption case.