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Governor of the 22nd State of the
Indian Union.
The most significant feature of the entire
popular uprising was that the population, though constituted of
various communities and language groups, stood as one to , achieve
their goal. Though the people's struggle has been on since the
Indian Independence, it gained added momentum during the one-year
struggle in 1975. Its culmination was the emergency sessions of
the Sikkim Assembly on April 10 when it unanimously adopted the
historic resolution for making Sikkim a full- fledged State of the
Indian Union. And the referendum on the resolution on April 14
clearly showed what the people wanted. Overwhelmingly they voted
in favor of the resolution.
On April 26 both Houses of the Parliament
passed the Constitutional Amendment making Sikkim from an
associate State to a full-fledged unit of the Indian Union.
Eyewitnesses will bear out that these people had staged one of the
most peaceful and non-violent revolutions unparalleled in the
world history .
The discontentment among masses had been going
on since 1970 elections that turned into a mass uprising on March
28, 1973 when Gangtok was rocked by anti-Chogyal riots. Within
three days of rioting the joint front of the Sikkim Janata
Congress and the National Congress came out with demand of
electoral reforms. The agitations were however called off on April
9 when Government of India announced the appointment of Mr.B.S.
Das as the Chief Administrative Officer. A day earlier the
administration of the territory had been taken over by the Indian
Political Officer at the request of the Chogyal.
The Chogyal was reduced to position of a
titular head under the historic May 8 tripartite Agreement, 1973
which ultimately provided a new democratic set up with an elected
Legislative Assembly on the basis of adult franchise doing away
with the communal voting system.
The 32 members Assembly constituted on the
basis of elections held on April 15. adopted on June 20 the
Government of Sikkim Act, known as Sikkim's Constitution,
giving more powers to the elected house. It received Chogyal's
assent on July 3.
July 23 1975 was another important day in the
history of the State when the first popularly elected Government
under the leadership of Mr .Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa was
installed.
The Union Cabinet at its meeting on August 30
approved the request of the Sikkim Government to provide
representation to the State in both houses of Parliament.
The public anger against the ruling dynasty was
aggravated by Chogyal's efforts to internationalize the Sikkim
issue. His supporters protested to the United Nations Secretary
General against India's decision to give associate status to
Sikkim. This was followed by a fast chain of developments moulding
the history of this tiny State.
The Chogyal visited Katmandu to attend King
Birendra's coronation without the approval of the Sikkim Cabinet
making it clear that he did not recognize the Kazi Ministry .He
also used this visit to propagate his idea of moving the
International bodies to seek' separate identity' for Sikkim. This
again was not approved by public opinion here. .
The March 4, 1975 incident at Rangpo in which
Mr.R.C. Poudyal, MLA and General Secretary of the Sikkim Youth
Congress was injured allegedly by erstwhile Sikkim Guards
personnel added speed to development that followed.
On the request of the Sikkim Government the
Government of India finally disbanded the Sikkim Guards on April
9, 1975.
SIKKIM HERALD -15th
August 1975
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