Gangtok: Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay has criticised an organisation that is “pretending to be apolitical but is actually involved in politics related to Article 371F”.
Although he did not mention the Joint Action Council by name, he challenged any such organisation or individual by saying, “If any person without a domicile gets a regular appointment in Sikkim, then I will leave my seat”.
The day after the Singtam violence, Golay spoke at a public function but did not mention the incident directly. However, he subtly referred to it by saying, “The government is responsible for the safety of the people, and we will not differentiate between people. We have come to power to safeguard the people of Sikkim and strengthen the state’s law.”
Golay then spoke at length about the much-debated issue of income tax exemption for old settlers, which has been the root cause of unrest in Sikkim since the January 13 Supreme Court verdict. He assured the audience that “our 371F, our right, will not be removed by anyone. 371F cannot be changed by the judiciary or the executive and remains untouched.”
He even challenged the opposition or any individual by saying, “If any person without a domicile gets a regular appointment in Sikkim, then I will leave my seat. Then people can say 371F is lost. If their lands are lost to people from outside, then 371F is lost.”
Referring to his recent visit to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi, Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Golay, said, “Even the Finance Minister assured that it is only for income tax exemption. She also said that if anyone argues otherwise, she is ready to debate with them. This is only for income tax exemption, and no harm will come to 371F.”
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Golay also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to protecting Sikkim, stating, “We do not want Sikkim to be destroyed, but this issue is only about income tax exemption. Income tax exemption has been in place since 2008, and it is for people who have been living in Sikkim prior to 1975. They had been requesting it for years until 2012 when the previous government urged them to take the matter to court.”
Chief Minister Golay continued to emphasise that the issue at hand is only about income tax exemption and accused the opposition of spreading rumours about 371F being lost. He challenged anyone to provide evidence of jobs being given to non-Sikkim subjects, stating, “If you want to confuse the people, then show evidence where jobs have been given to those without a Sikkim Subject. The income tax exemption is only for those with domicile holders, and they don’t get jobs in muster roll or ad-hoc.”
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