Too Little, Too Late: Hamro Sikkim Party Lambasts Government On CAB Stand

The Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) has accused the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) of lacking in seriousness on the difficulty of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) terming the move taken by Chief Minister P.S. Golay and Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba as 'too little too late'.

The HSP pointed out that the ruling SKM took its call when the Union cabinet had already passed the Bill and SKM remaining silent throughout the process.

Addressing media here today, HSP spokespersons Neeraj Adhikari and Sonam Gyatso Sherpa demanded the SKM government to work in the wheel with the other North Eastern States who are raising the issue together with protests by parties and other people against the Bill.

"The CAB is anti-Sikkimese and even once the SKM cabinet led by the Chief Minister P.S. Golay were busy with their swearing-in in New Delhi, they failed to create an effort to hitch different North East leaders to oppose the Amendment Bill, once all such selections were being taken in Delhi. It shows the SKM government's lack of seriousness on the difficulty," they aforesaid.

The HSP spokespersons additional declared that the timely protest by many North Eastern Stares forced the Union government to go back the bill and exclude the States with Inner Line Permit and Sixth Schedule areas from the purview of CAB. "However, the bill is silent on Sikkim. We request our Lok Sabha MP and Rajya Sabha MP Hissey Lachungpa to raise their voices in Parliament and win over the Union government to exempt Sikkim from CAB to secure and protect the distinctive identity of Sikkim as enshrined under Article 371F of the Constitution."

The HSP additionally questioned the silence maintained by Sikkim BJP on the issue, claiming their silence to be questionable with the indication of Sikkim BJP most likely supporting the Union government's decision or working to put Sikkim under the purview of CAB, taking out the distinctive rights of individuals of Sikkim under 371F.

They further questioned the implementation of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act in the State of Sikkim. The implementation was done in a hasty manner without consulting the stakeholders, claimed the HSP spokespersons. The party requested the State government and concerned department to revisit their decision on the implementation of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act in Sikkim.