Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Gangtok: The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) is sounding the alarm. They sent a letter on September 23, 2026, to Governor Om Prakash Mathur, the Union Home Minister, the Sikkim Chief Minister, and the Union Home Secretary. The group fears current talks regarding a permanent political fix for Darjeeling and the Gorkhaland issue threaten Sikkim's land and status.
Trouble started with a draft document from July. This preliminary paper proposed an Option-4, which suggested forming a new North Bengal state that could include contiguous areas of neighboring states. SIBLAC convenor Tseten Tashi Bhutia demanded a formal explanation. He wants to know exactly who saw the draft and why it was pulled. Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, who serves as the Chief Economic Advisor to the Sikkim Chief Minister, later claimed the proposal never meant to include Sikkim and was removed from the final August 2026 submission. SIBLAC remains unconvinced.
Tensions remain high. The group also pointed to public comments from the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress regarding a possible merger of Darjeeling and Sikkim under President's Rule. SIBLAC called for authorities to verify these claims. They also highlighted the open India-Nepal border as a major security issue for the strategically sensitive state. The group maintains they do not oppose Gorkha aspirations. However, they insist that Sikkim must not be treated as a side project.
SIBLAC is now leaning on Article 371F(g) of the Constitution. They want Governor Mathur to demand a report from the state government and potentially loop in the President. They also urged the Sikkim government to pass an all-party resolution in the Legislative Assembly. As the group stated, "Sikkim's constitutional identity and territorial interests should not be treated as an incidental component of any political settlement concerning Darjeeling."
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