Sikkim likely to see first shutdown in 26 years

ROSHAN GUPTA, SNS, SILIGURI. 25 FEBRUARY, 2019: Sikkim's main opposition party, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) , has called a statewide strike on 28 February. If the strike happens, it will be the first opposition sponsored shutdown in 26 years in the Himalayan state.

The SKM has said that the bandh has been called against what it called the failure of the state government to fulfill the party's 35-point charter of demands. The opposition party had given the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) a deadline of 25 February to meet their demands, party workers said today.

Earlier on 7 February, the SKM had served the demands to the governor, the chief secretary and the Chief Mniister's Office in Gangtok urging them to have the demands met by 25 February.

"Our deadline has come to an end today and we will go for a 24-hour statewide strike on 28 February as the state government failed to meet our demands. We had given it a deadline of 25 February, but nothing happened. The main demands are Nepali seats in the Sikkim legislative assembly, reservation of Limboo - Tamang tribal seats, granting of scheduled tribe status to 11 Nepali communities, and regularization of temporary jobs recently given by the state government under the one-family; one-job scheme. Other demands are regularization of adhoc teachers and benefits tor different communities," SKM general secretary. Bikash Basnet, said. Notably, there are 32 seats in the Sikkim Assembly, of which 15 are reserved -12 tor Bhutias and Lepchas, one seat for monks and two for SC candidates.

Meanwhile, SDF spokesperson KT Gyaltsen, said that the Limboo-Tamang seat reservation matter has been placed before the Centre and that the same falls under the union list and under no circumstance can the state government take decisions on that matter.

"As the matter is related with the Centre, the opposition should knock Delhi's door, rather than calling a bandh in Sikkim.This is nothing but an attempt to disturb peace and confuse people, and this reflects that the SKM party has no ideology and principles," Mr Gyaltsen told this correspondent.

"The bandh will disturb peace and tranquility in the state. The fact that they have been raising slogans of 'parivartan' (change), the bandh is the ideology of the 'parivartan' they see and it shows they lack leadership programmes and policies and ideologies," he added.

According to those on the know, the last time the public life was paralysed in Sikkim was in 1993, when the SDF was in the opposition and Nar Bahadur Bhandari of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad was the chief minister.

The SDF has been in power in the state since 1994. Sikkim is ruled by the SDF led by chief minister Paw an Chamling, India's longest-serving chief minister.