‘Sikkim and Darjeeling have separate futures’

ISABELLA GURUNG

Bista rejects merger talk, says no such proposal exists for Darjeeling’s permanent political solution

SINGTAM,: Newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sikkim State in-charge and Darjeeling Lok Sabha MP Raju Bista on Monday unequivocally rejected any notion for the merger of Sikkim and Darjeeling, stating that while the two regions share geography and heritage, “their present and future are separate”.

Addressing BJP Sikkim party functionaries at a coordination meeting held at the BJP State Party Head Office in Singtam today, Bista said there had never been any proposal for a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger as part of a permanent political solution for Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars.

“I want to clarify one thing today. There has never been any talk of a merger between Sikkim and Darjeeling for a permanent political solution. That proposal does not exist at all,” Bista said.

“Anyone talking about a merger of Sikkim and Darjeeling is misleading the people of Darjeeling and Sikkim,” he said.

The new State BJP in-charge’s remarks come amid renewed discussions and speculation on social media surrounding the relationship between Sikkim and Darjeeling and the possibility of their political integration.

Drawing a distinction between the shared historical and geographical identity of the two regions and their political futures, Bista said, “Our geography and heritage may be the same, but our present and future are completely separate.”

“Our geography and heritage were one, but today's present and tomorrow's future are distinct. I want to make things clear that anyone who claims otherwise from today onwards is deceiving the public,” he said.

Bista, however, stressed that the long-standing relationship between the people of Sikkim and Darjeeling should not be allowed to deteriorate.He recalled the support extended by the people of Sikkim to Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars during their long-standing political struggle for justice and expressed concern over what he described as attempts to damage the goodwill between the two regions.

“For a long time, Darjeeling, Terai, and the Dooars have been fighting for justice. This is something we all know. For a long time, whenever Darjeeling was in need, the people of Sikkim extended a helping hand with open hearts to the people of Darjeeling,” he said.

On behalf of the people of Darjeeling, Bista thanked the people of Sikkim for their support.He alleged that there was now an attempt to undermine the “sweetness, love and mutual respect” between Darjeeling and Sikkim.

Bista said the people of Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars have a constitutional right to seek a permanent political solution and claimed that such a solution could provide them with a protective constitutional framework similar to the safeguards enjoyed by Sikkim under Article 371F.

“Regarding a permanent political solution for Darjeeling, a permanent political solution is a right provided by the Constitution of India itself,” he said.

“Just as Sikkim received a protective shield through Article 371F, in the coming days, the people of Darjeeling, Terai, and the Dooars will also receive a similar protective shield under the Constitution of India,” Bista said.

He claimed that he was personally involved in the process concerning a permanent political solution for Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars, while indicating that details could not be made public at this stage.

“I am personally involved in this process. Many things cannot be posted on social media. I also know the internal details. But this is a public platform,” he said.

At the same time, Bista strongly defended Article 371F, calling it the constitutional “protective shield” of Sikkim and stating that it could not be removed.

Addressing concerns and political claims surrounding Article 371F, he said the provision was not something granted to the people of Sikkim as charity or a favour.

“No one has given Article 371F to the people of Sikkim as alms or charity. This is your right; this is your protective shield,” Bista said.He asserted that no political party or government, either at the Centre or in the State, could remove the constitutional provision.

“No one’s father, nor any political party, whether in the Centre or in the State, can remove it as long as this nation exists, as long as India exists, as long as the Constitution of India exists, as long as Article 371F exists,” he said.

Bista also sought to counter comparisons between Article 371F and Article 370, which was revoked by the BJP led Union government in 2019.

“People say Article 370 was removed. They don’t know the difference between Article 371F and Article 370 because they have not read the Constitution of India. Nehru and Gandhi made a mistake by inserting Article 370. Along with that mistake, they did one good thing by stating that this is temporary, not permanent. Yet, for 70 years, no one had the courage to remove it. But under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when the BJP government was formed in 2019, the BJP government worked to dissolve Article 370,” Bista said.

“The BJP government is a party that abides by the Constitution. Article 370 was temporary, and so the BJP government removed it. However, Article 371F is permanent and no power can ever remove it,” he added.

“Many said the BJP government will remove Article 371F. It hasn't been removed in the last 12 years, has it?” Bista asked.

Explaining the distinction between the two provisions, Bista said Article 370 was temporary and was therefore removed by the BJP government in 2019, while Article 371F was permanent.

Bista also appealed to people not to be misled by political statements surrounding Article 371F and asked them to read the Constitution.

“To those who are misleading the people in the name of Article 371F, I have only one suggestion for them: Please go and read the Constitution of India,” he said.

Bista stressed that BJP workers in Sikkim should see themselves not merely as party workers but as people responsible for protecting the interests and dignity of the State.

“We are not just karyakartas of the BJP; we are people who love Sikkim. Protecting Sikkim and keeping the self-respect of Sikkim high is the duty of all of us workers,” he said.

He said the BJP's responsibility in Sikkim should be approached with a sense of pride in the State and its people.

The Darjeeling MP’s categorical rejection of any Sikkim-Darjeeling merger proposal was among the key political statements made during his first interaction with the Sikkim BJP organisation after taking charge as the State in-charge.