Daramdin (West Sikkim): Sikkim chief minister and president of
the Sikkim Democratic Party Pawan Chamling on Tuesday obliquely accused
the BJP of trying to fool the Limbu and Tamang communities of the state
by promising them reservation of seats in the Assembly.
Addressing party supporters here on the first day of the
second-leg of his mass-contact programme, Chamling said the state
couldn't reserve seats in the Assembly for any community because that is
the domain of the Centre.
"Every time I go to Delhi, or they (Central leaders) come
here, I raise the issue of seat reservation for the Limbus and Tamangs,
and granting of scheduled tribe status for all other Nepali communities.
The state is not authority to provide seat reservation, the Centre has
the authority to do so," he said.
Limbus and Tamangs, who were granted Scheduled Tribe status in
2002, has long been demanding reservation of seats for them in the
Assembly. The ruling SDF, too, supports the demand. Recently, the BJP
had claimed that it was the only party capable of delivering the demand.
Without naming the BJP, Chamling, however, said people
wouldn't be fooled by the BJP claim. "A party from outside said recently
that it alone was capable of providing seat reservation to the Limbus
and Tamangs. Can a party provide reservation? Are we all fools?" he
asked.
Observers said Chamling's raking up of the reservation issue in the
West district was significant because the two communities, particularly
the Limbus, had a huge presence in the district, which has eight seats
in the Assembly.
"Chamling has embarked on his campaign keeping in mind the
Assembly elections which are slated for the middle of next year.
Reservation is expected to be a major issue in the West district during
the elections because of the massive presence of Limbus there. By
passing on the buck of reservation to the Centre, Chamling is trying to
keep his Limbu support base intact," said an observer.
During the last Assembly elections in 2014, the ruling SDF had
made a complete sweep of the West district by winning all the eight
seats.
In fact, it is the party's performances in the West and South
districts that had saved the SDF blushes because its rival, Sikkim
Krantikari Morcha, had bagged as many as 8 out of the 12 seats in the
East district. SDF had come back to power for the fifth term by winning
22 out of the 32 seats in the Sikkim Assembly.
Chamling also reminded that it was his party and government
which were instrumental in granting tribal status to the Limbus and
Tamangs in 2002. "In 1976, the Limbus and Tamangs were not made tribals
by the then government. Had they been made tribals then, all other
Nepali communities would have got tribal status by now. Again in 1987,
the two communities were similarly denied. In 2002, it was we who wanted
them to be tribals."
Both in 1976 and 1987, Sikkim was governed by the Nar Bahadur Bhandari-headed Sikkim Sangram Parishad.
Referring to the ban on non-organic vegetables, Chamling said
the government had made the decision in the interest of the Sikkimese
people, particularly the rural populace, and it will stand by it.
"All must take up organic farming...no vegetables will come
from outside. Potatoes and onions are allowed to be brought from outside
this year, but they will not be allowed next year. Only rice and salt
will be allowed," he said, while announcing some sops for the local
farmers to encourage them to grow more vegetables.
The Telegraph