‘Gorkhas an integral part of history,polity and society of Sikkim:’ Raju Bista

PRASHANT ACHARYA and PRAKASH ADHIKARI, EOI, SILIGURI / GANGTOK, JANUARY 29, 2023: The ‘Bhumiputra movement’ in the north-east between 1975 and 1999 has seen over100,000 Gorkhas being evicted from their ancestral lands. The persecution has continued till date, BJP M.P. of Darjeeling Raju Bista said in a statement on Sunday.

He feared that careless use of words could lead to further discrimination and ethnic cleansing of the Gorkhas in the coming days. “From the ancient times to the merger of Sikkim in India in 1975, the Gorkhas have been an integral and important part of the history, polity and society of Sikkim."

"In 1817, the lands of Sikkim were restored to the Chogyal with certain conditions by the British under the Treaty of Titalia. While the ownership of lands changed, the people remained in these lands, and they today constitute the ethnic and cultural fabric of Sikkim, one of which happens to be the Sikkimese Gorkhas.”

The Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim has said in a statement: "Members of our organization of around 400 families have a history of staying in Sikkim from the pre- merger era. They have always stayed peacefully and have contributed in development of Sikkim. The relation we share with ethnic communities namely Sikkemese Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali cannot be expressed through words."

"The newly formed Joint Action Committee has resolved to take the grievances of the Gorkha community to the Union Home Minister and to organize a rally across Sikkim.