- Sujal Pradhan, NET Correspondent, Sikkim
Limboo-Tamang seat reservation issues flared-up in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly once again. One of the major and long pending political demands of Sikkim, this issue has remained the dominant manifesto agenda of the political parties and the ruling-Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Upper Burtuk constituency asked the state Minster for Social Welfare Department about the measures undertaken to provide Limboo-Tamang Seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.
“What are the steps taken by the State Government to provide Limboo-Tamang Seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly to Limboo-Tamang Communities?” – he enquired.
Responding to the query, the Minister for Social Welfare – MK Sharma said “In order to provide seats to Limboo and Tamang in State Assembly, the state administration has placed the request before the Union Government as under : D.O No. 363/CMO/2021 dated: 21.01.2021 to Union Home Minister; D.O No. SH/5(39) CMOL/2019/2673 dated: 07.08.2021 to Union Home Minister and; D.O No. SH/5(39)/CMOL/2019/2683 dated: 11.08.2021 to Hon’ble Prime Minister.
Elaborating further about the inclusion of 12 left-out communities from attaining Tribal Status, Sharma said “In order to include 12 left out Communities of the Sikkimese people to Scheduled Tribe status, the State Government has passed a Government Resolution (Resolution 1 of 2021) to this effect on 11th January, 2021 and the same has been placed before the Union Government, including the demand to provide seats to Limboo and Tamang in the State Assembly as under : D.O No: 363/CMO/2021 dated: 21.01.2021 to Union Home Minister; D.O No : SH/5(39)CMOL/2019/2673 dated: 07.08.2021 to Union Home Minister and; D.O No: SH/5(39) CMOL/2019/2683 dated: 11.08.2021 to Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.”
While, the BJP legislator from Rumtek-Martam constituency – Sonam Venchungpa shared “this would have been solved when the Delimitation commission in the year 2006 and when the delimitation commission was under Justice Kuldeep Singh, at that time delimitation constitution happened and at that, we already got the Limboo-Tamang seat reservation. The meeting had organised a hearing wherein I too had kept some suggestion but at that time SDF supporters tried to sabotage my idea and it would have been solved then.”
The Sikkim Chief Minister – Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) highlighted how the demand for seat reservations had begun from 2002-03 when the two communities secured tribal status.
“The SKM government has raised the concern with the Union Government, the tribal affairs ministry time and again. There is a need for collective effort rather than an individualistic approach. It is the issue of the Sikkimese people and we are certain that the Central government will take action. The delimitation of constituencies is yet to happen and there is a need for constituency deliberation,” – he stated.
