Gangtok: The Sikkim Assembly on Monday passed a resolution seeking clarification from the Centre on the expansion of the definition of Sikkimese in the recently passed Finance Act, 2023.
The House adopted the resolution by a voice vote during a day-long session convened to discuss the matter.
As soon as House assembled, Education Minister Lunga Nima Lepcha tabled the resolution with permission from Speaker Arun Upreti.
Dramatic scenes were witnessed as Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) supremo and former chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling was marshalled out of the House for disrupting Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s reply.
Chamling, who was the CM for 25 years, charged his successor of “misleading” the House on the impact of the Finance Act on Article 371F, which grants special rights to Sikkimese people.
The SDF president wanted to raise a point of order while the CM was speaking but the Speaker disallowed him from doing so, and chastised the former chief minister for disrupting the House, before ordering him to be marshalled out.
Consequently, 73-year-old Chamling was escorted out of the House, where in a brief media interaction, he insisted that the provisions of Article 371F applicable exclusively to Sikkim stood diluted after the enactment of the Finance Bill, 2023 by expanding the definition of Sikkimese people by including the old settlers and their descendants.
“Over the next few years, the doors have been opened for more outsiders to come to Sikkim and enjoy the exclusive rights,” he said.
Later, addressing a press conference, the CM asserted that the rights of the Sikkimese people have not been compromised in any way and that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has clarified that the expansion of the Sikkimese definition was only for Income Tax exemption.
“What are we supposed to lose if the old settlers and their descendants get exemption from Income Tax?” he said.
Article 371F has remained untouched in Finance Act, which is an amendment to the Income Tax Act, 1961.
On his predecessor being marshalled out from the House, Tamang said he has nothing to say on the matter as it was the decision of the Speaker.
Tamang said he has suggested that the Speaker establish an all-party delegation, which will meet representatives of the Centre to seek clarification on the expansion of the definition of Sikkimese.
He said 14 people have been arrested so far for their involvement in recent violence in Singtam, in which a Joint Action Council office-bearer was injured in an attack while he was mobilising people to bring out a protest rally against the Finance Act.
Meanwhile, two BJP leaders — S B Karki and Laten Sherpa resigned from the primary membership of the party in protest against the alleged dilution of Article 371F following the enactment of the Finance Act.
Sherpa had contested the lone Lok Sabha seat from Sikkim in 2019 on a BJP ticket, while Karki was the vice-president of the party’s state unit.
