Sikkim govt trying for ILP across state: MP

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, 24 Feb 2020, Gangtok: Indra Hang Subba, the lone Lok Sabha member from Sikkim, on Sunday said the Sikkim Krantimari Morcha and its government were working on getting the Inner Line Permit regime extended throughout the state and appealed to Opposition parties to support the administration's efforts.

Once the entire Sikkim is brought under the ILP regime, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act cannot be enforced in the state.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here, Subba said: "We are working on the issue of ILP. The Opposition parties are also demanding that ILP be introduced. In such a situation, they must lend us their support. They must come forward and participate in discussions in a positive manner," he said.

The young SKM MP, however, did not spell out the strategy of the SKM government on the issue. Sikkim Against Citizenship Amendment Act, which comprises political parties and other social groups, has demanded that a resolution be adopted in the Assembly in favour of extending the ILP to the entire state.

States like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland where ILP is in operation have been exempted from the CAA. The ILP is an official document issued by the state governments to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.

The ILP regime falls under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. In Sikkim, ILP is in place only in parts of North district.

Subba also reminded that he had voted against the CAA in parliament despite Union home minister Amit Shah's verbal assurance that the new citizenship matrix would not be extended to Sikkim without the consent of the state Assembly since Article 371F provides special protection to the state.

"Despite his verbal assurance, we opposed because we are with the people. We will act according to the wishes of our citizens," the MP asserted.

On the issues of reserving Assembly seats for the Limboo and Tamang communities and granting of Scheduled Tribe status to eleven Nepali-speaking communities, the SKM MP said his party was on the job, but it was unfair to expect results in such a short time..