Constitution of Sikkim State Congress 1947

 Tashi Tshering-The First President of Sikkim State Congress

The peasants of Sikkim had resisted a lot against the Sikkimese theocracy. After the Indian independence they were not at all in a mood to live the very same life which their forefathers lived. The earlier individual resistance they had shown against the suppression of the Kazis now began to take a shape of united resistance in which the peasants of Sikkim were searching their new avenues to live their lives. The age old concept of Devine Right of the King &Co. was at a very shaky position. This all was happening due to the geo-political situation which was prevalent not only in India after her independence, but in the entire Himalayas. It is to be noted here, that the political situation of Nepal was also coming across from the similar ups and downs which was then ubiquitous in Sikkim. The Nepali populace started an open divergence against the Rana regime for its removal. It was all happening because the resistance level of the masses in the entire Himalayas was plummeting heavily due to the suppression from the higher authorities.

Capt. Dimik Singh Lepcha General Secretary of S S C

Likewise in Nepal, the Sikkimese peasants also began to raise their voices against the forced labors which had exploited its peasantry a lot. Unlike an open rebellion in Nepal, the peasants here began to ask for their rights through various associations founded by different leaders in the Kingdom. In the words of Howard Zinn-“The uneasiness grows and grows and the citizenry gathers in resistance in larger and larger numbers, which becomes too many to control; one day the top heavy empire collapses.” He further writes- “Change in public consciousness starts from low level discontent, at first vague, with no connection being made between the discontent and the policies of the government. And the dots begin to connect, indignation increases, and people began to speak out, organize and act”. Similar to the ideas of Howard Zinn, the small gatherings of uneducated and Bustiwallas in far flung Sikkim organized themselves and founded the first ever political party of Sikkimese Kingdom at Gangtok on 7^th December 1947. They named it as SIKKIM STATE CONGRESS which was greatly inspired from its Indian counterpart the Indian National Congress. Interestingly, the flag of the said party also had a tri-color similar to that of the Party Flag of the Indian National Congress.  

 Kashiraj Pradhan The Vice President

To continue their united resistance through a political banner, the Sikkim State Congress had even made a constitution. It was meant for the execution of a member’s duties in some far off places of Sikkim. It basically deals with the code and conduct of the party members. The picture posted here is of the few pages of the said Party Constitution. Details have been provided by the document about the powers and functions of its President and other Executives. Further, the paper also offers some new ideas to understand the basic purposes of this political organization.  The interesting part of the document is that a block level committee in every block was founded after the formation of the Party. To reach at the doorsteps of the peasants those blocks were further sub-divided into villages. Every member of Sikkim State Congress had to get a membership card at the cost of Rs. 1. Adults of 18 years and above were given the general membership (who wanted to join the Party). The Constitution of Sikkim State Congress had all together 12 Articles supported with many other clauses. It has given much emphasis on the discipline of the cadres and Annual Meetings.  

I am greatly indebted to Mr. B. B. Lhorung Rai of Kazi Tar Namchi for sharing this piece of information with me. The document is to a great extent helpful for the study of political development in the erstwhile Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim.