GANGTOK, Dec 12 - HSP vice president and former star footballer Bhaichung Bhutia has alleged that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is a ploy of the Centre to encourage influx into Sikkim.
In a social media post, Bhutia flayed the Centre and said that it took more than a decade to take control over the administration in Sikkim through its civil services policy. Sikkim may never see another Chief Secretary of Sikkimese origin in future, he commented.
He alleged that the CAB is also a long-term policy to get outsiders into Sikkim, both foreigners and people from other States. �It might not affect us now, but our future generation could be in danger,� he said.
Despite the Government and both State MPs opposing the citizenship Bill, Sikkim has not been excluded from the Bill in writing.
�This Bill is completely against the interests of the Sikkimese people and Article 371F,� said Bhutia. He also threw the ball in the court of the two State parties � SKM and SDF � and said that the two political parties are in alliance with the BJP in the North East through the NEDA and at the Centre through the NDA. It would be interesting to see what steps both the parties take in terms of the alliance in future since the BJP Government has rejected their request and demand on the CAB, he said.
