SIKKIM NATIONAL PEOPLES PARTY

H.O. Tulsi Bhawan, Dara Gaon, Gangtok – 737102, Sikkim

DECLARATION
We, the undersigned, announce the launch of a new political party to bring
forth the issues concerning the constitutional basis of Sikkim’s existence in
the Indian Union. We also have the following facts to declare for the general
information of the Sikkimese People.

1. Sikkim today owes its allegiance to the Indian Constitution as a result

of an agreement signed between the people of Independent Sikkim
and the Government of India on the 8th of may 1973, by which Sikkim
was assured the status of an associate state of the Indian Union, a
notch below the status of “Protectorate” which Sikkim enjoyed till
then.
2. Artcle 371F was incorporated into the constitution vide the 36th
amendment due to the fact that the Indian Constitution did not have
provisions for an associate state. It was also suggested that this article
would override the other provisions of the constitution including the
fact that, as clause (k) of this article reflects, we could carry on with
our old laws as in independent Sikkim, thereby guaranteeing our
special autonomy within the Union. We may also add that the 36 th
amendment to the Indian Constitution was a unilateral action by the
Government of India and had no sanction of the Sikkimese people.
3. Despite such clear instruments inserted in the constitution, in the last
three decades, the Government of India has turned a blind eye to the
numerous instances of violation of these provisions. In fact the GOI
has been actively abetting this process by extending central acts
illegally, such as the Income Tax Act and numerous others, with
impunity and with complete disregard to the spirit and letter of the 8 th
May agreement as well as that of artcle 371F.
4. The Sikkimese people need to know that this was possible due to the
well planned mis-information and propaganda campaign which went to
the extent of even banning the works of eminent Indian intellectuals
like Satyajit Ray and others, so that people were kept in the dark. The
effect of this campaign was so strong that, in an era known as the
“information Age”, our Sikkimese children are learning a very distorted
version of their own immediate history as the word “Merger” hardly
seems to describe the events that took place in Sikkim between 1973
and 1977. Rather, on going through historical documents and
literature, as well as recent publications, the word “Annexation” would
be more appropriate and history books should be rewritten to reflect
this.
5. The collapse of the guarantees given by Article 371F has lead to a
situation where today the Sikkimese people feel outnumbered,
exploited and relegated in their own lands. and are losing their very
identity, their dignity and their pride which had been cultivated over
the centuries. The massive rate of influx and the demographic changes
 SIKKIM NATIONAL PEOPLES PARTY
H.O. Tulsi Bhawan, Dara Gaon, Gangtok – 737102, Sikkim

witnessed recently not only destroyed our natural and economic

resources but has also overburdened our infrastructure to the point of
collapse. And an environment of “free-for-all” has been created where
today even a normal Sikkimese is being accused of being a foreign
national., because in fact, Sikkim has become a dumping ground for
people from around the region, including neighboring countries like
Bangladesh etc. .
6. The Party would also like the Govt. of India to review its flawed foreign
policy vis-à-vis China. Despite their tall claims of having solved the
problems between the two countries, the Sikkimese people are again
feeling a sense of Insecurity after the Chinese Government rejected
the GOI’s claim and has been showing Sikkim as an independent
country in all their official communiqués. This fact has been published
through recent reports in the national media, quoting China as having
not yet agreed to the Indian viewpoint as regards Sikkim. It is indeed
sinful that after three decades as part of the union, we the people of
Sikkim are still insecure and in a mess because we do not know the
intentions of our northern neighbors who refuse to acknowledge our
Indian Citizenship and within, we have been reduced to a situation
where even our Chief Minister is having to prove his nationality.

Considering all the above, we feel that the experiment of article 371F has
failed miserably and the Sikkimese people are being denied their due as
agreed upon by all parties, including Govt. of India, as per the 8 th may
agreement of 1973. As article 371F forbids the Courts in India to take up the
matter of the agreement, we the people of Sikkim have no alternative than
to Challenge the 36th Amendment to the constitution of India, and demand
that an International agreement be honoured without further delay and grant
Sikkim its Associate State status as promised. We also demand that
provisions for having an associate state be incorporated into the Indian
constitution forthright so that we may not be denied our rights a day more.