Gangtok, December 28, 2012:

Objecting to the annulment of Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act 1961 clause in Companies Bill 2012 passed by the Lok Sabha recently, the opposition political parties here have accused Centre and State government of working together to wipe out Sikkim’s identity.

Sikkimese people would come out in the streets if the Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act 1961, an old law of Sikkim, is repealed by the Centre, said the opposition parties.

Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) president Nar Bahadur Bhandari went on to accuse the Centre of ‘betraying’ the State. “The State government has to be informed about such proposal before the bill is placed in the Lok Sabha. Why the State government did not issue a white paper before the people here before the bill came up? People will protest in the streets if the old law is abolished for which the State government would be responsible”, said Bhandari.

The Companies Bill seeks to replace the existing Companies Act of 1965 and has introduced various reformative provisions besides omitting obsolete compliance requirements. Passed by the Lok Sabha on December 18, the bill also does away with the Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act 1961. The bill is yet to be approved by the Rajya Sabha where it will be placed in next session. Bhandari believes the particular clause in the Companies Bill is ‘against the Sikkimese people’. “It is due to the State government’s weakness that attempts are being made to do away with Article 371 F. They are trying to destroy this old law of Sikkim as they did while sneaking income tax in Sikkim. We will not allow old laws to be repealed”, he said. State BJP president Padam Chettri accused the State government of making ‘secret agreement’ on the annulment clause in the Companies Bill. This law cannot be easily repealed and the Centre must withdraw the particular clause, he said.

Sikkim National People’s Party (SNPP) president Biraj Adikhari said that any move to repeal old laws of Sikkim is illegal. The Parliament has no right to do so, he said accusing the State government and Centre of ‘conspiring’ to repeal the Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act.Our party would be writing letters to all MPs against the particular clause in the bill, said Adikhari.

Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP) general secretary Tara Shrestha said that if the old law of Sikkim is repealed then the Sikkim Subject Certificate would be meaningless. “Our party protest against the conspiracy of the Union government to do away with our old laws. We will be writing to the President on this issue”, he said.

Sikkim Express

 

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