GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 2nd July: A remark by Congress leader and former MP Ajoy Kumar referring to Sikkim as a “neighbouring country” has triggered a sharp backlash from the BJP and the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), with both parties accusing the Congress of disrespecting India’s territorial integrity.
While addressing a press conference on Tuesday on the alleged ₹400 crore SAIL scam, Kumar mentioned deteriorating relations with India’s neighbours and inadvertently named Sikkim along with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The gaffe, made just weeks after Sikkim celebrated 50 years of its merger with India, was seen as a grave insult by many.
The Congress leader later issued a clarification on X, calling the reference a “slip of the tongue.” “It was a small human error,” he wrote. “I apologise sincerely… I heard BJP is planning a press conference on this. I challenge them to also hold one on the SAIL scam and other real issues.”
The BJP, however, seized the opportunity to lash out at the Congress, calling it a “Jinnahwadi” party. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Ajoy Kumar’s statement shows how Congress continues to insult the Northeast. They’ve done it before — they bombed a northeastern state and abandoned Assam in the 1960s.”
Drawing parallels with the founder of Pakistan, he alleged, “Just like Jinnah wanted to divide India, the Congress wants a fragmented Bharat. They’ve repeatedly shown disregard for national unity.”
The SKM, which governs Sikkim, condemned the remark as “deeply hurtful.” Yougan Tamang, Press Secretary to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), said the comment reflected “a complete lack of understanding of the country’s geography and history.”
“Sikkim became an integral part of India in 1975. For a national leader to say something like this is not only factually wrong but also insulting to Sikkimese sentiments,” Tamang said, urging the Congress to take disciplinary action against Kumar. “Being in politics demands awareness. Such unverified statements mislead the public and harm national unity.”
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