Gangtok: Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay on Tuesday said the state government chose not to raise any political issues during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, and would instead take them up formally in Delhi with a detailed memorandum.
“We did not raise any political issues with the Prime Minister as he was our guest. We will instead go to Delhi with our full team and submit our memorandum there,” Golay said.
There had been anticipation among the people of Sikkim that the Prime Minister would address several long-pending political demands of the state.
These include reservation of seats for the Limboo-Tamang communities in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, granting tribal status to 12 left-out communities, and facilitating the return of the 17th Karmapa to Sikkim.
However, the Prime Minister made no reference to these demands during his address.
Bikash Basnet, political secretary to the Chief Minister, echoed a similar position. He said, “Several long-standing demands, including infrastructure-related projects, were addressed by the Prime Minister. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang shares a strong working relationship with the Central Government, particularly with the Prime Minister, which has helped in getting the state’s demands fulfilled.
“The NDA government has been responsive to the demands raised by the people of Sikkim and the state government, and I am confident that this support will continue in the future. We hope that more projects will be sanctioned for Sikkim following the visit.”
Responding to questions on why the Prime Minister did not address the pending political issues, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lalit Pokhrel Sharma said such matters are typically taken up in Parliament.
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president said, “Some issues are raised by different parties, but such matters are discussed and addressed in Parliament. The Prime Minister cannot speak about every local issue in a public address. These concerns are already known and are being raised by elected representatives, including Members of Parliament.”
Meanwhile, Golay expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for attending the closing ceremony of Sikkim’s Golden Jubilee celebrations despite challenging weather conditions.
“Even when helicopter travel was not possible due to bad weather, he said he would come to Sikkim under any circumstances—even by road. This is historic, as no Prime Minister has done this before in such a situation,” he said.
On development, the Chief Minister emphasised strong coordination between the Centre and the state. He said several ongoing projects are being jointly supported and that this partnership will continue to be strengthened, aligned with national priorities, including security and the vision of a developed India by 2047.
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