Gangtok: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda had to cut short his visit to Sikkim on Sunday due to bad weather in the state. It was supposed to be Nadda’s first visit to the state but as reports of land-slides and road blocks surfaced, he remained in Arunachal Pradesh and held a virtual meeting with BJP supporters in Sikkim’s Namchi district.
In Nadda’s absence, BJP Sikkim in-charge Dilip Jaiswal along with BJP Sikkim party president Dilli Ram Thapa and other senior leaders addressed a gathering of the party’s supporters in Namchi town.
Last week, an internal rift within the party was apparent when a senior party executive Tseten Tashi Bhutia had slammed a few BJP legislators for their absence from a district-level function in Sikkim. The legislators in turn had questioned the party’s leadership and Bhutia for his alleged remark against them.
It might be noted that BJP has 12 legislators in Sikkim Assembly, with 10 having defected from Sikkim Democratic Front in 2019, while 2 others were elected in 2019.
On the internal rift between Bhutia and the legislators, Dilip Jaiswal, while speaking to the party’s Namchi supporters, denied any such division within the party.
He said, “There is no division inside the BJP party in Sikkim, as was seen today where 11 of our legislators are in attendance.” He added, “Tseten Tashi Bhutia is like a guardian to the party and whatever he said against the legislators was to unite all the legislators and party members. But the event that marked the legislators’ absence was merely an inauguration of the district-level party office. It was not necessary for all the party members and legislators to attend. If it were a state-level meeting as it is today, then everyone needs to be present. This was merely a misunderstanding.”
Jaiswal also took the platform to address the issue of regional parties versus national parties in Sikkim and the mistrust that Sikkimese people have towards national parties.
He stated, “All the 12 legislators that we have in Sikkim are all locals and the public in attendance are all Sikkimese people. So how can BJP be a party from outside? When all the legislators are Sikkimese and if BJP forms next government in Sikkim, then the chief minister will also be a Sikkimese. In other northeastern states where the BJP is in power, all the leaders are locals and that BJP is not an outsiders’ party.”
He questioned, “When all the schemes that are being implemented in the state are funded by the BJP-led government at the Centre, how can the party be considered as an outsider.”
On BJP’s coalition with Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, Jaiswal said, “Ever party, be it regional or national, is concerned about the wellbeing of the people of Sikkim. I am certain that regional parties will respect the presence of BJP in Sikkim, and similarly we will also give respect to the regional parties.”
Furthermore, Jaiswal informed about a Rs 900 crore worth natural gas pipeline reaching Sikkim’s Gangtok soon through the corridor of Reshi, near the North Bengal border. “This will ensure that natural gas reaches Sikkim with ease and at a cheaper rate,” he added while informing that the related work will begin in a week’s time.
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BJP Sikkim president DR Thapa, who also addressed the gathering, spoke about IT exemption for old settlers of the state, the issue of immigrant tag upon the Sikkimese Nepali community and how BJP was instrumental in removing the tag.
Thapa stressed on giving the national party five years as against 48 years of governance under different regional parties of the state. He stated, “The only alternative for Sikkim is BJP now. There are other states in the northeast region who welcomed BJP almost 10 years ago. See the development there.”
He explained that the party’s aim in Sikkim is to “deliver victory to the people” of the state. “We take this challenge as an opportunity,” he said.
Encouraging the party’s supporters at Namchi, Thapa further added, “If you are suppressed, transferred or victimised while working for BJP, the party will take responsibility. We are members of the strongest party in the country, so why fear?”
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