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In this exclusive conversation on The Interview with Kumkum Chadha, Sikkim MP Dr Indra Hang Subba’s intervention in Parliament drew attention after he described the student protests as a “wake-up call” for the government and MPs.
Sikkim MP Indra Hang Subba also defended his decision to speak in support of protesting students in Parliament, insisting that his remarks were not an act of dissent against the NDA government.
“My speech wasn't a dissent speech. It was an honest speech,” Subba said, arguing that the students’ concerns over examination leaks were genuine and needed to be heard. “How can a wake-up call be dissent?” he asked.
Subba said the protests should serve as a warning to governments and political parties across the spectrum. “We are getting late. The entire nation is getting older and older. This is a wake-up call for all of us,” he said, adding that the political establishment needed to understand “the nerve of the students.”
On the students’ demand for the education minister’s resignation, Subba said the minister could have taken “moral responsibility” earlier, but also credited him for cancelling the examination and arranging a re-examination within a month. “To get such big exams reexamined within one month and to conduct it successfully, I think as a Minister, this was also a big decision for him,” he said.
Subba rejected the suggestion that the government simply buckled under pressure, describing the episode as part of a democratic process in which protests, negotiations and government action all played a role. He also criticised the Opposition’s politics of repeatedly seeking resignations, saying responsibility in a democracy rests with both the ruling party and the Opposition.
Asked whether he would prioritise young people over maintaining the NDA alliance, Subba rejected the premise. “The country should come first,” he said, arguing that supporting youth development and remaining part of the alliance were not contradictory. He maintained that one or two incidents should not be used to judge the entire NDA.
As an NDA ally, his remarks raised a larger political question: has the countdown clock begun for the BJP, and are growing student concerns becoming an electoral warning?
Also Read | The State can’t afford to ignore this student protest
The conversation then turned closer home to Sikkim, with Subba addressing the connectivity crisis facing the state and the concerns of his electorate.
The MP painted a wider picture of Sikkim’s connectivity challenges, pointing specifically to the condition of NH10 and the non-functioning airport. “NH10 is in a pathetic state. The airport is not functioning,” Subba said, adding that “in one sense, Sikkim is actually cut off.”
The airport also became the subject of a sharper question during the interview, with the interviewer noting that some people have alleged irregularities and asking whether the project was a scam. Subba’s comments on connectivity thus placed a local governance crisis alongside his broader political message: while the national debate centres on whether the government is listening to citizens and allies, Sikkim’s own residents continue to face basic infrastructure and access concerns.
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