Chronicle 2004
SIBLAC's Delhi Trip
The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), an umbrella organisation working for the welfare of the two communities, said the purpose of its latest visit to Delhi was to pressure the Centre to take action on various demands raised by the body.
Addressing a news conference at BL House, SIBLAC Convenors said they had been assured by the party at the Centre in writing before the election that their proposals would be looked into. The letter, they added, has assumed significance with the formation of the Congress-led government at the Centre.
SIBLAC row out in the open
A split in the leadership of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), an umbrella organisation representing members of the Bhutia-Lepcha community has further widened with the removal of sitting Convenor Nima Lepcha.
Two new Convenors were named today, even as Lepcha termed both his removal and the new appointments as being 'illegal'.
A faction of the Apex body convened a meeting of its steering Committee yesterday and elected Tseten Tashi Bhutia and K. N. Lepcha as the new Convenors of SIBLAC. Both Bhutia and K. N. Lepcha had contested the recent Assembly elections as Congress candidates.
A press release issued by spokesperson Tenzin C'wang said the meeting of the steering Committee yesterday was convened primarily to decide on electing new Convenors and to constitute a delegation of the Apex body which will visit Delhi in order to pursue its demands.
Bhutia, who was reelected the Convenor of the Apex body for a second time, had resigned just before the Assembly elections in the state to contest as a Congress candidate. He had said at the time that he wanted SIBLAC to preserve its apolitical nature and was resigning since he was planning to take part in politics.
This had left only Nima Lepcha, one of the two Convenors, to head the body as the 'official' Convenor.
Reacting sharply to the 'coup' through a press release, Lepcha, who was removed unceremoniously after having served the Apex body for many years, said he took strong exception to reports that two new Convenors had been elected yesterday. He said the move was illegal and unconstitutional and aimed at tarnishing the image of the organisation.
Lepcha cited that since SIBLAC always claimed that it was apolitical, the move by politicians to involve themselves as the new Convenors had done irreparable damage to the sanctity and image of the Apex body.
Lepcha had earlier objected to politicians participating in SIBLAC, saying this would make mockery of its 'apolitical' nature.
Cong Recruit
In a major development, the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), the representative body of the Bhutia and Lepcha tribal communities, has decided to support the Congress in the coming assembly polls. The decision was taken at a convention of the SIBLAC at Kabi Lungtsok in Sikkim's North District last weekend.
Tseten Tashi Bhutia, who resigned as the Convenor of SIBLAC, joined the Congress formally to contest the coming polls. Bhutia met state Congress president Nar Bahadur Bhandari and was formally inducted into the party at the Congress Bhavan on Jeewan Theeng Marg today. He has also been officially declared the party candidate from 20 Pathing constituency in east Sikkim.
"Mr. Bhutia joining the Congress provides the SIBLAC with an opportunity to have a representative in the Assembly", SIBLAC spokesperson Tenzing C'wang said.
SIBLAC Boss quits to contest Election
Determined to keep intact the apolitical nature of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), Convenor Tseten Tashi Bhutia today resigned from the apex body to run in the Assembly polls.
Bhutia will join the state Congress and contest from the Bara-Pathing constituency in east Sikkim, a seat reserved for the Bhutia-Lepcha community. A former Sikkim Democratic Front legislator from Assam Lingzey in east Sikkim, Bhutia had resigned from the party on March 4 saying he had lost faith in the leadership. He had, however, promised to continue work for the two ethnic communities by remaining a part of SIBLAC.
In the first convention held yesterday in this historic place in north Sikkim, Bhutia said his decision to step down from the post of the Convenor was to let SIBLAC remain as an apolitical body. "The apex body in the state should not be tainted with political colours", he said. Bhutia said his decision to join the Congress was prompted by the party's assurance that it would pursue the main demands put forward by SIBLAC in its 12-point manifesto, which was released last month.
The meeting was preceded by a Lhabsol (puja ceremony) at Kabi Longchok, a sacred place where Lepcha chief Thekong Tek and Bhutia chieftan Khye Bhumsa are said to have signed blood brotherhood in the 16th century. Addressing a 7,000-strong gathering, Bhutia said: "I have met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and given her my word to protect the rights of the two communities. The SIBLAC is an apolitical body but its members can vote just like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. There is no harm in lending indirect support to a political party."
Focusing fire on chief minister and SDF chief Pawan Chamling, Bhutia said: "The SDF has failed not only to protect the rights of the two communities but also in restoring the rights enjoyed by the Nepalese community earlier. Our political, social and economic rights, guaranteed under Article 371F of the constitution, is being exchanged for money," he alleged.
Tribal Communities keep their Options open
The Bhutias and Lepchas of Sikkim, who claim to be the original inhabitants of this Himalayan State have been, over the decades, reduced to a minority in most of the constituencies reserved for them; but their support is critical to any contender for power in the coming seventh Assembly polls. Ever since the State's merger with India in May 1975, it is the elected representatives of these ethnic groupings who have determined the formation of governments here. It is expected to be no different this time around too.
Twelve of the 32 seats in the State Assembly are reserved for those of Bhutia-Lepcha origin. But a steady change in the demographic pattern has meant that though they comprise 21 per cent of the total electorate in the State, they are predominant in only three of the reserved constituencies - all of them in the North Sikkim district.
"Our very existence is at stake", says Tseten Tashi Bhutia, Convenor of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), formed five years ago. The committee which today claims to be 'the true' representative forum of the two communities, has emerged as a potent force in the State. "We will once again prove to be the deciding factor in the polls; our concerns are such that we have to be increasingly politically assertive. We have approached both the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the main opposition party, the Congress, the two main players in the coming elections, for support to our cause. Who we will align with depends on how they respond", Mr. Bhutia adds.
SIBLAC leaders point out that Article 371F, which had been incorporated into the Constitution at the time of Sikkim's merger, was designed to safeguard the political rights of the people of Bhutia-Lepcha origin through seat reservation. "But the Article has, subsequently, been violated. The reserved seats exist only in name and there have been an increasing number of settlements of alien people in our constituencies. The Constitution (Sikkim) Scheduled Tribe Order, 1978, has further distorted the identity of the Bhutias by bringing non-Bhutias within the definition of (who is a) Bhutia", says Tenzin C'wang, spokesperson of SIBLAC.
The SIBLAC, which is struggling to translate the constitutional guarantees under Article 371F into reality, sees the electoral process as part of a wider struggle, according to Mr. C'wang. The two indigenous communities, with a population of nearly one lakh, backed the SDF in the last polls.
A switch seems to be on the cards this time. The move is expected to spawn a new set of political equations and could result in an electoral pact with the Congress even though the SDF camp does not appear to be unduly concerned. The SDF leaders are hopeful of retaining the allegiance of most of the tribal leaders who helped the party return to power in the 1999 Assembly elections. The Congress, on the other hand, is confident of getting the support of the Bhutia-Lepcha communities with its leader and former Chief Minister, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, having already responded positively to the SIBLAC's political programme.
In a State where caste and ethnic loyalties determine political alignments, the leaders of both the SDF and the Congress are vying for the SIBLAC's support which will be crucial to the electoral prospects of both the parties.
The SIBLAC's criticism of the SDF, which has been in power for the past two terms, has sharpened over the years, particularly since the formation of the Gorkha Apex Committee (GAC) last year. The GAC espouses the cause of the non-tribal Nepali population and is widely seen as a threat to the interests of the tribal communities. Mr. C'wang goes by the adage 'the enemy's enemy is a friend', though he is not quite ready to officially admit that this implies support to the Congress. "Maybe we will be left with no other alternative", he, however, hastens to add.
While its political detractors believe that the SIBLAC is no more than a casteist formation of disparate tribal groups having conflicting interests, its supporters view it as an alternative force in Sikkim politics that "is no longer going to take lying down years of political and social marginalisation in the very land of their origin". Its leaders point out that 30 years of change and development have distorted the identity of the indigenous people of Sikkim. They say they are waiting to see whether the new political order fulfils the urges and aspirations of the Bhutia-Lepchas.
How they choose to define and shape the agenda of 'the new political order' will be evident in their choice of electoral partners for the coming polls.
Chamling Carrot for third Term
Celebrations, a resignation, promises and suspense marked the 12th foundation day of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front. The resignation of Tseten Tashi Bhutia, a sitting legislator of the dissolved assembly, did little to dampen the spirits of the party leaders and supporters who had gathered in Rangpo for the celebrations. Attended by almost all party bosses and presided over by the party president and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, more than 30,000 supporters from across the state listened as the leaders told them about the "decade of visible development" under the party's rule.
Tseten Tashi Bhutia said he had lost trust in Chamling's leadership and that despair had replaced hopes and cynicism had overtaken dreams for the state. He submitted his resignation letter to the office secretary at the party office at Deorali in Gangtok.
Bhutia is also the Convenor of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), an apolitical social organisation representing the indigenous communities. Bhutia said he would continue working for SIBLAC and a decision on his future political career would be taken after discussing it with the members.
At Rangpo, however, the mood was different. Chamling rendered a marathon five-hour speech, alternating between highlighting the party's achievements and launching attacks on the Congress.
He said that the 12 seats of the Bhutia Lepcha would not be touched. He even guaranteed seat reservations to the Limbu and Tamang if voted back to power and said he had asked the Prime Minister to raise the number of assembly seats in the state from the present 32 to 40. Chamling said he would provide four seats to the Limbu community in the coming polls and promised to include all "left out" communities in the Other Backward Castes if the party was voted back to power.
The first Manifesto in the Fray is SIBLAC's
Support Manifesto and get en-bloc BL Votes, assures Apex Body
Simultaneous polls have not been officially announced yet and political parties in Sikkim are just about warming up for the campaign trail, but stealing the march is an admittedly "apolitical" organization which has gone ahead and released its manifesto.
The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), which calls itself a "force to reckon with" and claims to have "managed to consolidate about one lakh Bhutia-Lepchas of the State under one umbrella while maintaining equal distance from all political parties and organisations", has come out with a "BL Manifesto" for the upcoming polls.
The BL Manifesto, said SIBLAC Convenor Nima Lepcha, here on 1 February, Sunday, was an articulation of the Apex body's "stand on various issues relating to the BL community for the benefit of the various political outfits in the fray."
In a major announcement, Mr. Lepcha promised that SIBLAC would "support" those candidates who incorporated the points raised in BL Manifesto in their party manifestoes. "Any political party that stands by our manifesto will get our outright support", he said. On being asked how it would extend "support", Tseten Tashi Bhutia, ruling party MLA and also SIBLAC Convenor, said that it do so by "telling the people whom to vote for. We will tell the people directly which party supports our cause and ask them to vote accordingly", he said.
Interestingly, SIBLAC has not yet made it clear whether it would render support to a political party from the outside or actively participate in the campaigning. In fact Mr. Bhutia, when asked whether Sikkim could expect SIBLAC to field candidates when the State goes to polls, said: "Only time will tell."
As for his own political future, Mr. Bhutia, an SDF MLA from Assam-Lingzey, finally announced that he would be "leaving" the SDF party shortly. He however did not make it clear whether he would contest the elections for another party or as an independent candidate. "I shall be continuing with my work associated with SIBLAC", he said.
"We are hopeful that the political parties in the State will respond to our cause. This will also reveal how much the political parties are receptive to the hopes and aspirations of the BLs of the State who are now united under SIBLAC", Mr. Lepcha added.
The 12-point "BL Manifesto" released by SIBLAC touches mostly on issues like protection of Article 371F and fight against communalism that every other manifesto will be voicing. It could differ from most other manifestos in its demand for cleansing of the "Bhutia" definition to exclude the three communities of Sherpa, Kagatey and Yolmo from it. The five other communities, it might be recalled, are now accepted within the ambit of Bhutia by SIBLAC.
The manifesto also demands delimitation of the 12 BL assembly constituencies to be carried out on the basis of Article 371F and not the guideline prepared by the Delimitation Commission. It has also said "no" to trade over Nathula till the seats reserved for the Sikkimese Nepalese, taken away in 1979, are restored.
While SIBLAC wants tickets for Bhutias and Lepchas to be distributed on parity basis (most political parties are already toying with the idea of 50-50 representation, an arrangement which favours the Lepchas, who are fewer in numbers compared to the Bhutias in Sikkim), it has called for an additional 10 per cent reservation for Lepchas in matters of employment and education. It has also stated that the Teesta hydel project not be cleared without the consent of the Lepchas of the affected area.
Given the complicated arithmetic that make for Sikkim's seat reservation formula, the one SIBLAC demand that most parties might shy away from committing to is 12th and final point of the manifesto. SIBLAC has demanded that in the event of an increase in Sikkim's Assembly strength, there should be a proportionate increase in the seats reserved for BLs.
How seriously the political players view SIBLAC's claims of having "consolidated and conditioned" BL votes will be seen in the coming days in their response to the SIBLAC stand.
Monks to head for Delhi
The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) has joined hands with the recently-formed All Sikkim Monasteries Association (ASMA), to attain its claimed objective of preserving the religious and indigenous rights of Sikkim's Buddhist community.
In a recent statement, SIBLAC said that a joint SIBLAC and ASMA delegation would visit New Delhi soon to take up with the centre issues such as delimitation of Assembly constituencies, amendment of Scheduled Tribe order and protection of religious rights of Sikkim's Bhutia-Lepcha people.
SIBLAC stated that it had also taken up the matter of alleged defiling of Khecheopalri Lake, one of the holiest Buddhist sites of Sikkim. It added that the matter was taken up after a formal request by functionaries of the Khecheopalri Monastery and members of ASMA.
SIBLAC said that the construction of an unauthorised structure inside the holy lake premises was sacrilegious and a violation of law. Referring to the politicisation of the issue, it stated that the only motive behind the act was to gain political mileage out of the issue by polarisation of sentiments on communal lines.