Sikkim-Darjeeling merger issue raised by useless people, says CM Prem Singh Tamang

Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, has dismissed talks about the merger of Sikkim and Darjeeling, calling it an unnecessary issue raised by the opposition. Speaking at the 13th Foundation Day celebrations of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) at Pacheykhani, he said that such discussions were baseless and aimed at misleading the people of Sikkim.

"The person who is raising this issue; go and ask him. Even he will say that the Sikkim-Darjeeling merger can never happen," CM Tamang said. He accused the opposition of lacking real issues and deliberately trying to confuse the public. "These opposition leaders have no serious agenda, so they are bringing up unnecessary matters just to fool the people. I request the people of Sikkim not to be misled by such claims."

The Chief Minister emphasized that Sikkim enjoys special protection under Article 371(F) of the Indian Constitution, which safeguards its unique identity and history. "Our Article 371(F) gives us protection. Sikkim has its own history, and Darjeeling has its own. The opposition leaders who are raising this issue are useless people. We are protected by the Constitution, and a Sikkim-Darjeeling merger is impossible," he reiterated.

He also challenged those making such claims to engage in a debate on the matter. "Do not misguide the people of Sikkim. If you have any real concerns, come and debate with us. But you have no genuine issues, and that is why you are spreading such misleading statements," he said.

Addressing other governance matters, CM Tamang said that the Sikkim Legislative Assembly had recently passed several resolutions and discussed a high-level meeting in Delhi. He acknowledged that there were some errors initially, but they were corrected through a corrigendum.

He clarified that the high-level meeting in Delhi was solely focused on granting tribal status to 12 left-out communities of Sikkim. "This meeting was organized for one reason only—to ensure tribal status for the 12 communities that have been left out. Intellectuals from all these communities are part of the committee working on this," he said.

CM Tamang said that his government’s commitment to protecting the interests of Sikkim’s people and dismissed opposition claims as baseless distractions. "We are the government, and we are here to protect Sikkim and its people," he said.