The Convenor of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), Tseten Tashi Bhutia, has issued an open letter to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, urging the Bhutia-Lepcha (BL) community to actively safeguard their constitutional rights. Bhutia expressed deep concern over the erosion of Article 371F protections, warning that the community’s silence could lead to the loss of their hard-earned safeguards. He criticized the reduction of BL-reserved seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions, calling for an immediate rollback of the 2018 amendment that reduced reservations to 8% from the constitutionally mandated 50%.
In his letter, Bhutia also demanded the implementation of high-security holographic papers and digitization of crucial documents, including the Sikkim Subject Certificate (SSC) and Certificate of Identification (COI), to prevent misuse. Additionally, he called for the withdrawal of Notification No. 12/Home/2018, which he claimed undermined Sikkim’s old land laws by allowing non-locals to register land.
Expressing disappointment with the SKM government, Bhutia reminded the CM that SIBLAC had supported SKM in 2019, expecting the party to protect Sikkim’s identity. He urged the BL community to unite and take collective action before it was too late, asserting that defending Sikkim’s constitutional rights was essential for protecting India’s sovereignty.