BJP opens new chapter in Sikkim: SIBLAC Convenor joins BJP

DICHEN ONGMU, EOI, GANGTOK, APRIL 6, 2023 : The Sikkim unit of the BJP made a significant gain on Thursday as Convenor Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) Tseten Tashi Bhutia joined the BJP during the 44th foundation day celebration of the party in Rangpo. 

Sikkim in-charge of BJP Dilip Jaiswal, Sikkim BJP President Dill Ram Thapa, Legislative Party leader Narendra Kumar Subba and Gangtok MLA Yon Tshering Lepcha welcomed Bhutia to the party. A large number of BJP executives and supporters were present at the event. 

Bhutia, a former legislator and minister in the Nar Bahadur Bhandari led government in the late1980s, has been a staunch supporter of the old laws of Sikkim protected by Article 371F, and has worked towards preserving the unique identity and rights of the Sikkimese people in the Indian Union. 

As the SIBLAC convener, he has been instrumental in uniting the Bhutia and Lepcha communities of the state over the years. Bhutia sees his entry into the BJP as a turning point for the party and Sikkim’s bright future. 

He emphasized that he had joined the BJP not to seek any position or power, but to protect the safety and security of the Sikkimese people He believed that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi could safeguard the rights of the people of Sikkim, and that the regional parties have had enough chances todo so. 

Speaking about the recent Lok Sabha Finance Bill that expanded the Sikkimese term, Bhutia expressed concern that the term had been distorted and that the SKM government had been unsuccessful in correcting it. 

He believed that only the BJP could restore the Sikkimese identity, and called for a meeting between the Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the Sikkim unit of the BJP with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resolve the issue. Addressing concerns about the BJP being an outsider party, 

Bhutia stressed that the SKM and both MPs of Sikkim, as well as the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), were in alliance with the BJP. 

He believed that the people of Sikkim should make direct contact with the BJP and that all communities in the state must have a direct connection with the party instead of relying on the fake assurances of the regional parties and leaders. 

Bhutia also questioned the absence of six legislators of the BJP at the 44th foundation day celebration and stated that they were lagging behind largely because of the alliance with SKM. He urged them to work towards the betterment of the people of Sikkim