Bhaichung Bhutia Demands Inner Line Permit for Sikkim

New Delhi: India’s former top Football player Bhaichung Bhutia, for the last few years trying his hands in the politics of Sikkim. He formed Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) in April 2018, lost in the assembly elections but he keeps raising issues related to Sikkim. Before that Bhaichung was a member of the Trinamool Congress Party and contested two elections, without a win, he lost the West Bengal assembly elections for them from Siliguri, he also lost in the Loksabha elections in 2014. Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) chief Bhaichung Bhutia, who could not win his seat in the Sikkim assembly elections. In a recent development, Bhaichung Bhutia demanded Inner Line Permit (ILP) for the state. Bhutia said most Northeast states with international borders have the ILP in place and Sikkim should also have it.

Bhutia, hitting out at Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang for not raising the issue with the Centre during his visit to New Delhi said, "It is unfortunate that our CM did not think of raising the demand for the introduction of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Sikkim."  He alleged that, Instead, the chief minister gave a green signal to the Centre to further dilute the provisions of Article 371F, which protects the rights of the Sikkimese people.

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) government has already allowed the "solution" of Article 371F and the Revenue Order Number 1, he claimed without explaining it. Bhutia said the chief minister should make all memorandum and demands submitted to the Centre during his visit to the New Delhi public as the people of Sikkim have every right to know the details.  Bhutia further said,  the state government should have urged the Centre to reconsider the introduction of 'One Nation, One Ration Card' in Sikkim as settlers from outside may take undue benefit from the scheme even as hardly any Sikkimese is likely to seek ration outside the state.