Opposition parties call off 48-hr Sikkim bandh

Gangtok, Dec 8 (UNI) Opposition parties today called off their 48-hour ''Sikkim bandh'', scheduled to begin tomorrow, a meeting here.

In a signed statement, the leaders said they had decided to call off the strike following their conviction that there would be no justice even if they carried on with the bandh.

Five Opposition parties -- the Congress, BJP, Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad, CPI(M) and the Sikkim Gorkha Democratic Party -- had given the call for the bandh to protest the ''failure'' of the state government on various fronts and its alleged threat to the Opposition parties.

The Opposition party leaders said the 'bandh' call was given to protest the government's ''failure'' to create employment opportunites, stop corruption prevailing at all levels and improper demarcation of Assembly constituencies and to provide seat reservation to the Limboo and Tamang communities in the House.

The statement was signed, among others, by Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee president Narbahadur Bhandari and BJP state unit president H R Pradhan.

Earlier, the ruling SDF, which had also given a call for the 'bandh', postponed it for an indefinite period.

The SDF had given the call for the 'bandh' to protest the possible dilution of Rule 4 (4) of the Sikkim Establishment Rule, 1974, which gives preferential treatment to the Sikkimese in the appointment in government jobs.

The objectives of the ruling party was to pressurise the Centre not to implement direct Income Tax laws in the state, pass the Women Reservation Bill without further delay and to provide seat reservation to the Limboo and Tamang communities in the state Assembly.

UNI BD SJC HS VV1757