Gangtok: The Limboo Tamang Voluntary Committee (LTVC) has proposed the reservation of seats for members of the Limboo and Tamang communities in the 32-member Sikkim Legislative Assembly.
The LTVC on Sunday submitted a 22-point memorandum seeking LT seat reservation in the state assembly to Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba in a meeting held at Yakthung Heem in Gangtok.
Notably, the Limboo and Tamang communities have been fighting for the reservation of seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly since 2003. A consultation committee, SKM Consultation Committee on Limboo & Tamang Seat Reservation, has also been constituted for pursuing the matter, headed by Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba.
The consultation committee, as per the direction of Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay, has been conducting a series of meetings with various associations of Limboo and Tamang communities and stakeholders across the state to collect inputs, which will be later submitted to the Chief Minister.
The Limboo-Tamang Voluntary Committee has requested the SKM Consultation Committee to disclose all memoranda on the Limboo-Tamang seat reservation issue in the Legislative Assembly for transparency purposes. Besides, the committee has also requested to present the formula for seat reservation in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly before the panchayat polls scheduled on November 14.
“If the outcome is not up to the expectations, we will be compelled to think that all these meetings for LT seat reservation are just a political gimmick and stunt by the SKM party eyeing the upcoming panchayat election,” LTVC stated.
In case of an increase in assembly seats from the existing 32, the LTVC has demanded that the seats for the two communities should also be increased proportionately.
“We would also like to remind SKM party of their pre-poll promise given to the Limboo and Tamang communities to resolve the long-pending demand of LT seat reservation,” the LTVC added.
The meeting was attended by committee vice chairman Basant Tamang (chairman, Transport department); executive members Birendra Tamling (advisor, IPR department); J.B. Subba (chairman, SABCO); M.N. Subba (advisor, Sports department) and P.K. Subba (chairman Scheduled Tribe Welfare Board); member secretary Nosang Limboo and SCPCR chairperson Rama Tamang.
The LTVC thanked the SKM consultation committee for inviting them to the meeting and said that no political party in power had previously brought stakeholders under one roof to discuss the LT seat reservation issue.
Meanwhile, the SKM consultation committee also met executive members of the Sikkim Limboo Tamang Tribal Joint Action Committee, which submitted a memorandum with their inputs and suggestions regarding the issue.
The LTVC also requested the SKM consultation committee for LT seat reservation to make all the memorandums submitted with regards to seat reservation public to maintain transparency.
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