GANGTOK, 11 Apr: All Sikkim Gorkha Protection Force [ASGPF]
held a meeting today to discuss the statement given by Sikkim Sangram Parishad
president Nar Bahadur Bhandari on 09 April at Rangpo. The meeting has strongly
criticized and condemned Mr. Bhandari’s statement supposedly in defence of the BL
seats in his speech.
A press release of the ASGPF convener, KB Rai informs that
in the hearing of the case between RC Poudyal and Union of India in 1992
Sikkimese Nepali were termed immigrants. The release further says that if Mr
Bhandari had put his efforts to win this case, then the Sikkimese Nepali would
not have been branded foreigners.
In the absence of seat reservation, the majority Sikkimese
Gorkhas are living like second class citizens in the state and such statements
by Mr Bhandari would further affect the political future of the majority
community, Mr Rai states.
ASGPF has further termed 09 April a “black day” for the
Sikkimese Gorkha community.
