Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) has accused the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) government of vote bank politics for demanding Assembly quota for Limbu and Tamang (LT) communities before President Droupadi Murmu without articulating the party’s formula to resolve the issue.

The Bhaichung Bhutia-led HSP termed Sikkim chief minister P.S. Tamang (Golay)’s recent speech before the President, where he iterated the long-standing demands of the state, including Assembly quota for LT communities, as “just another shameless act of vote bank politics, nothing else”.

The demand for reservation of LT seats in the Assembly has been hanging fire with the Centre since the time the Limbu and Tamang communities were granted ST status in 2003. Unlike the past SDF government that advocated reserving five seats for LT communities by raising the strength of the Assembly from 32 seats to 40, the SKM is yet to come up with a formula.

The HSP said the chief minister should have formulated his government's reservation formula and got it passed by the Assembly before taking it up with the Centre. “Mr Golay skipped all these and just to pretend he is serious about the issue so that he can get votes he raised the issue in front of the President. This is just cheap vote bank politics,” it said.

The HSP also contended that LT seat reservation should be done under the provision of the Sikkim-specific Article 371F, which allows parliament to reserve seats in the Sikkim Assembly for any section of the Sikkimese society, and not under Article 332, which reserves seats in the state legislatures for the SCs and STs in proportion to the total number of seats in the Assembly and percentage of population of the two communities in that particular state. "Advocating Article 332 is a direct violation of Article 371F (section f) and also a threat to the BL (Bhutia and Lepcha) seats which is reserved on the basis of Article 371F (section f)," it added.

The SDF, on its part, has taken objection to the speech delivered by Sikkim governor Ganga Prasad before the President on the same occasion. "The Governor reported Sikkim as being one of the most developed states today which is completely false. Development in Sikkim today has come to a grinding halt in the last three-and-half years of the SKM government," alleged the party.

The governor’s speech, the SDF said, was tailor-made to cover up all the misgovernance and lapses under the SKM government. “Thus Sikkim today is witnessing an unusual symbiotic bonhomie between Mintokgang (official residence of Sikkim chief minister) and Raj Bhawan, compromising the basic needs, safety, security, and democratic and constitutional aspirations of the people of Sikkim,” it added.