The Joint Action Council (JAC) has called a meeting of all political parties in Gangtok on Saturday to know their views on the definition of the term “Sikkimese” and related issues arising out of the recent Supreme Court verdict granting income tax exemption to the Indian origin old settlers.

Addressing a news conference in Gangtok on Wednesday, senior JAC leaders said the time had come for all people irrespective of their political affiliations to come together as one to defend their “Sikkimese identity” which allegedly came under serious threat in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict.

The leaders said along with their views on who should come under the definition of “Sikkimese”, the political parties should also make their positions clear as to who should be considered as the old settlers of Sikkim.

In its January 13 verdict on a petition filed by the Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim (AOSS), the Supreme Court had directed the Centre to amend the term “Sikkimese” as defined in Section 10 (26 AAA) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, by including in it the old settlers who had been living in Sikkim since before its merger with India in 1975.

In 2008, while granting the tax sop to the “Sikkimese”, the term had been defined as those whose names were registered under the Register of Sikkim Subjects who mainly belonged to the Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali communities.

“Since the day the Supreme Court came out with its verdict, we have been faced with an identity crisis. There is a big question mark as to who we are because the term Sikkimese has been abrogated in the judgment.... People are in a state of confusion,” said Tseten Tashi Bhutia, a JAC advisor, while blaming the state government and elected representatives for the mess.

Bhutia said JAC was determined to ensure that there was no dilution of the term Sikkimese. “That is why the Joint Action Council has called the meeting of all political parties. Please come and make your stand very clear. Our goal is the same whether it is the ruling party or the Opposition party or any other organisations: to protect Sikkim and the Sikkimese people. For that to happen, we must unite as one,” he said.

Asserting that only those holding Sikkim Subjects Certificates qualified to be called Sikkimese according to the terms of the merger, the JAC advisor said the question of redefining the term did not arise now. Pointed out that it is the Supreme Court which has ordered the inclusion of old settlers in the definition, Bhutia has retorted: “The court had been misguided.”

Bhutia also sought clarity on who actually the Indian origin old settlers of the state are and put the onus of defining them on the state government.

The Supreme Court had directed that all old settlers of Indian origin who had been living in Sikkim since before its merger be granted income tax exemption.

However, there is a section of people who are of the view that only those old settlers whose families have been living in the state since 15 years before the Sikkim Subject Regulation, 1961, came into force should be considered as old settlers.