British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, a global star, has strummed a storm not of his making in the Himalayan state of Sikkim.
Sikkim has been divided over Ed Sheeran ever since chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) said they were looking at the possibility of bringing Ed Sheeran to perform during Sikkim’s golden jubilee year of statehood.
Sikkim had merged with India on May 16, 1975.
The golden jubilee celebration will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The controversy over Ed Sheeran centres on the reported fee of more than ₹30 crore for the global artist’s concert.
Opposition parties and critics in social media were quick to point out that the government would do better to invest the amount in a welfare scheme.
Such was the criticism that Golay had to come up with a clarification. Even Golay’s wife Krishna Kumari Rai publicly defended Ed Sheeran’s possible concert in Sikkim.
“I had only said that we are exploring the possibility of getting Ed Sheeran. However, I had not said that the government would spend money from its coffers to bring him to Sikkim,” said Golay.
The Sikkim chief minister clarified that a group of well-wishers had expressed their desire to bring the singer during the golden jubilee celebration.
“The group approached the state government for logistic support, for security. The group will bring (Ed Sheeran) through sponsorship…,” said Golay.
The chief minister stressed Ed Sheeran’s presence would highlight Sikkim as a tourist destination across the globe.
“Tickets for Ed Sheeran’s concert get sold within minutes. We will have people travelling from across India and also abroad to attend his concert,” said Golay.
Ed Sheeran is travelling to India from January-end as part of his tour and is slated to perform in Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Shillong and Delhi.
Tickets are priced between ₹3,500 and ₹28,000 for these concerts.
The Citizen Action Party (CAP) Sikkim, however, seems unconvinced with Golay’s clarification.
The party’s spokespersons Mahesh Rai and Albert Gurung have demanded that the name of the group and sponsors be made public.
“Who are these people and groups who are sponsoring the entertainment programmes in Sikkim? Where is the money coming from? Is Sikkim running on donations? The names of those sponsoring the Ed Sheeran concert which costs about ₹40 crore should be disclosed,” said Rai.
CAP Sikkim has also alleged that these sponsors are benefiting from the SKM government.