New Delhi: Amid protests and debate over the ‘Sikkimese’ identity and the definition of the word, Home Miniter Amit Shah assured the Sikkim delegation led by BJP state president Dilliram Thapa to file a review petition in Supreme Court. Shah assured that the home and finance ministries will file a plea to seek clarity on the term ‘Sikkimese’ in light of the constitutional provisions and today, he informed that the government has filed the petition.
GoI reiterated its position about the sanctity of Article 371F of the Constitution that safeguards the Sikkimese identity, which should not be diluted. (2/3)
— गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) February 6, 2023
The apex court referred to the Sikhimese Nepalis as ‘immigrants’ and extended the income tax exemption to the old settlers. This led to protests in the state and again sparked a row on Sikkimese of Nepali origin being regarded as foreigners.
Amit Shah told the delegation that their sentiments will be respected. He added that the people of Sikkim are an integral part of the country and the constitutional provisions for them shall be protected. The Home Minister also appealed to people to maintain peace in the state and asked political parties to refrain from deriving political mileage from this issue.
The delegation led by DR Thapa included the members of the Joint Action Committee and the Sikkhimey Nagrik Samaj. They talked to Shah about the community being seen as foreigners and also mentioned the distortion in the definition of a ‘Sikkimese’ that led to the Supreme Court observation.
The state government has filed a plea into the matter in the apex court and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also assured that the Union government will also file a petition and support the state government.
