Gangtok: The Sikkim Nationalist Peoples'
Party on Thursday accused the government of trying to dilute the
identity of the Sikkimese people by proposing to issue pink
card to the holders of the Sikkim Subject Certificate or the
Certificate of Identification as proof of their ethnic status.
"How is the proposed pink card different from the Sikkim
Subject Certificate or the Certificate of Identification which
all Sikkimese people have had with them? The SNPP questioned
and asked the state government to explain the matter.
Claiming the pink card has identical data as the Sikkim
Subject Certificate or the Certificate of Identification, the
party alleged there appeared to be an ulterior motive behind
the move to issue new identity card, apparently to make the
available identity proof redundant.
If the Pawan Kunmar Chamling government failed to explain
necessity of to issue pink cards to local people, it will be
fair to assume that the incumbent government was hatching a
conspiracy to eliminate the Sikkimese identity, which has
otherwise been protected under Article 371(F) of the
Constitution.
The SNPP, in a resolution adopted by the members at a
meeting presided over by the party chief Biraj Adhikari, asked
the state government to withdraw the proposal to issue pink
cards to the local people amid cynicism in the public mind.
It further appealed to the Sikkimese people not to extend
cooperation to officials concerned on the pink card issue.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 22:22