GANGTOK,: The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) has strongly condemned certain statements made recently by senior minister Kunga Nima Lepcha regarding Revenue Order No. 1, an old law of Sikkim protected under Article 371F.
In a press release on Wednesday, SIBLAC acting president Karma Yenten Chankapa termed the alleged remarks from the SKM minister during a party meeting at Saramsa as “anti-BL, anti-Old Laws and anti-Sikkimese statement” and recorded the organisation’s strong condemnation.
“It is unfortunate to learn that a person like Kunga Nima Lepcha, who climbed the political ladder advocating the rights of Bhutia-Lepcha communities is now hell bent on wiping the rights of Bhutia-Lepcha communities from Sikkim. This shows that he was just playing with the sentiments of Bhutias and Lepchas for his personal and political gains,” said the SIBLAC acting president.
Chankapa maintained that a large number of Bhutia-Lepcha lands, protected under Article 371F, were illegally transferred to outsiders in the last four and half years, and accused the Land Revenue minister for being involved in these land deals.
The SIBLAC acting president expressed that the minister’s statement is “nothing but a desperate attempt to cover his wrong doings after realising that he has lost his ground among Sikkimese people.”
“As an apex organisation of the Bhutia-Lepcha community, SIBLAC is duty bound to inform the common Bhutia-Lepcha about the misdeeds of the government and individuals like
Kunga Nima Lepcha, therefore we have highlighted it through its convention held in November 2023. Now, it is for all the stakeholders and Bhutia-Lepcha individuals to strongly oppose such blatant anti-BL misdeeds to protect the rights and interests of Bhutia-Lepcha for today and for generations to come,” said Chankapa.
The SIBLAC acting president urged the State government to immediately clarify their stand on the alleged anti-Sikkimese statement made by minister Kunga Nima Lepcha at earliest. Failing which, we will be constrained to believe that the SKM government is also hell bent on wiping the rights and interests of Sikkimese people, he said.
We caution not just the BL community but the entire Sikkimese people that the law prohibiting sale of lands belonging to the Sikkimese to outsiders is distinctly violated in an unprecedented manner which needs to be opposed by all the right thinking Sikkimese people, said the SIBLAC acting president.
Chankapa added that the prolonged civil unrest and violence happening in Manipur is a prime example of the outcome of such misrepresentation of facts.