The Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) and the Sikkim Republican Party (SRP) have demanded the restoration of seats in the Assembly for the Nepali-speaking community that was abolished in 1979.

Addressing a joint presser here on Friday, HSP president Bhaichung Bhutia and SRP president K.B. Rai said the recent Supreme Court’s remark on Nepali-speaking Sikkimese as being later immigrants from Nepal had hurt the sentiments of the entire Sikkimese people and the only solution to their identity crisis was to restore the Nepali seats in the Assembly.

Bhutia said: “How can a permanent solution be found on the identity of the Sikkimese, which is questioned every time? The only one solution, which we have been saying since the start (of HSP in 2018), is to restore Nepali seats,” he said, adding otherwise the crisis of identity of being dubbed foreign national would remain.

Prior to 1979, both before and after the merger of Sikkim with India in 1975, 16 seats each were reserved for the Nepali-speaking community and the Bhutia and Lepcha (BL) communities in the 32-member Assembly. After the abolition of Nepali seats in 1979, 12 seats have been reserved for the BL communities, two for Scheduled Castes and one for sangha, a body of monks.

The Supreme Court had made the remark in its recent verdict granting Income Tax exemption to the old settlers, which is an euphemism to describe Sikkimese of Indian origin who have been living in the state since before the merger.

The HSP president demanded that the Sikkim government move the Supreme Court to get the remark on the Nepali-speaking community removed from its judgment, which both his party and the SRP otherwise welcomed.

Bhutia asked the state government to immediately call a special session of the Assembly to pass the resolutions on the restoration of Nepali seats, reservation of seats for Limbus and Tamangs, and implementation of the Inner-Line Permit in the state.

Bhutia also said a “Sikkimese Ekta” rally would be held within the next eight-ten days on the Sikkimese identity issue by involving all other political parties and social organizations. “We want to tell the SKM government if the resolutions on the Nepali seats and ILP are not passed in the Assembly, we are prepared to take to the streets and even gherao the Sikkim Assembly.”