Last and final reminder: Sikkimese Nepalese at the crossroads

By Jigme N. Kazi

(This article was carried in Talk Sikkim magazine in January 2013. I am placing this in Facebook and in my blog to remind the people of Sikkim the political dilemma faced by bonafide Sikkimese, particularly Sikkimese Nepalese. If Sikkim’s political leadership fails to act decisively and promptly on preservation of the distinct identity of Sikkimese Nepalese we may soon witness the beginning of the end of Sikkimese unity and identity.)

   Reservation of seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for Limbus and Tamangs on the basis of their status as scheduled tribes will hasten the death knell of the distinct identity of Sikkimese Nepalese in the former kingdom of Sikkim. As has been witnessed, dilution of Sikkim’s special status within the Union has been a gradual process and New Delhi seems to be succeeding in its efforts to erase whatever is left of Sikkim’s past.

   Despite its repeated emphasis on preservation of Sikkim’s special status as per provisions of Article 371F of the Constitution the political leadership in the State has unitedly demanded reservation of Assembly seats for the Limbu-Tamang community, who have been declared scheduled tribes in 2002. Is this move a bid to appeal to the Limbu-Tamang vote-bank or is our political leadership confused and directionless?

Interestingly, the Limbus and Tamangs, who belong to the Nepali community and were earlier bracketed among the OBC (other backward classes) in the State, themselves are vociferous in seeking Assembly seat reservation for their communities. Only last month (Jan 2013), the All Sikkim Limboo Krantikari Yuva Sangh called for an indefinite ‘Sikkim bandh’ to press their demand on the seat issue. The Sangh has appealed to all political parties, including the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), and social organizations to support its demand.

   It may be recalled that in 2006, the Sikkim Limboo Tamang Tribal Forum (SLTTF), while urging its representatives in the Assembly to protect the political rights of the two tribal communities, regretted that even after obtaining ST status they were yet to be given seat reservation in the State Assembly. The Sikkim Limboo Tamang Joint Action Community (SLTJAC) blamed the Chamling Government for not doing enough to ensure that seats in the Assembly are reserved for the two communities.

The demand for reservation of Assembly seats for Limbu and Tamang communities was raised in the Lok Sabha by BJP MP Balkrishna K Shukla, who was in-charge of Sikkim, in May last year.

BJP State unit President Padam Chettri said the people of Sikkim are grateful to the BJP for raising the issue in the Parliament. He alleged that even the two MPs from Sikkim have not raised the issue in the House and have “completely ignored the burning issue.”

   Interestingly, in reply to Shukla’s question on whether the UPA government is aware that the Sikkim Legislative Assembly does not have seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes of Sikkim and what action is being taken to “preserve and protect” the STs in the State Assembly, former Union Law Minister and senior Congressman Salman Khurshid said the 12 seats reserved in the Assembly were meant for ‘Bhutia-Lepchas’ as per the historic 1973 tripartite agreement between the Government of India, the Chogyal and political parties of Sikkim. Seats were reserved for the Bhutia-Lepchas on the basis of their ethnicity and not because they were tribals, Khurshid informed the House.

Khurshid, who is now the Union External Affairs Minister, said Assembly seat reservation for STs in the State would depend on the population of the Limbus and Tamangs on the basis of 2011 census. “Any increase/decrease in the present status could be considered only after wider debate from all the stake holders in the State of Sikkim,” Khurshid said.

   It may be noted that the Sikkim Limboo-Tamang Joint Action Committee had in 2005 sought deferment of the process of delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Sikkim till a special census is conducted to ascertain the population of the two tribes. In a memorandum to the Delimitation Commission, the Committee President PR Subba urged the authorities not to go ahead with the exercise till a census to update the population of the Limbus and Tamangs was taken up.

   In 2009, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram stated in the Rajya Sabha that any proposal for reservation for Tamang and Limbu tribes in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly can be considered only after compilation of results of the 2011 census

''At present no authentic population figures for Limboo and Tamang communities are available. If reservation for these communities is to be considered as per proportion of their population in the state, as recommended by the state Government, the same can be available only after the results of the 2011 census are compiled,'' Chidambaram informed the Rajya Sabha.

   The Minister also said there had been a proposal from the Sikkim Government to increase the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly, from the present 32, to a minimum of 40. A resolution passed by the State Legislature of Sikkim on September 16, 2004 also said that reservation be provided for Limbu and Tamang communities.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last November Chamling stressed the need to address the issue for early resolution of Assembly seat reservation of the Limbu-Tamang community.

   It may also be recalled that in July 2008, Chamling tabled a White Paper in the Assembly on efforts made by his government in securing ST status for the Limbu-Tamang community and to secure Assembly seat reservation for them.

It now appears that another Assembly polls, scheduled for 2014, will come and go without seats being reserved for the Limbus and Tamangs. The UPA Government has stated in the Lok Sabha that until the population figures of Sikkim are made available on the basis of 2011 census the seat reservation issue would linger on. Even if the population figures are made known now more time will be needed to formulate a new seat arrangement in the Assembly, which will be followed by fresh demarcation of Assembly constituencies in the State.

   Perhaps this leaves us enough time to think over what we really want. Do the Sikkimese Nepalese prefer to be divided and gradually disintegrate in the near future? Or do they want to preserve their special status while also embracing their constitutional rights? The ball is in their court.

   Assembly seats traditionally reserved for Sikkimese Nepalese were done away with in 1979. Ever since, Sikkim’s political parties have been demanding restoration of their political rights. Why are our politicians speaking in two voices now? (Courtesy: Talk Sikkim, January 20, 2013)