Delhi govt Ad on civil defence recruitment refers to Sikkim as an independent country, BJP demands apology

On Saturday, Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government stoked a huge controversy by referring the North-east state Sikkim as an independent country. Expressing his views, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said that the advertisement is highly objectionable.

New Delhi: The Delhi government, on Saturday, issued an advertisement to recruit ‘Civil Defence Volunteers’, which referred the state of Sikkim to be a separate entity and placed alongside sovereign nations like Bhutan and Nepal.

Expressing his views, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said, "This is highly objectionable. This advertisement reflects the thinking of the Aam Aadmi Party."

"Sikkim is a glorious state and through this advertisement, AAP has questioned the citizenship of the people of Sikkim," said Tiwari.

After questions were raised, Delhi government in their defence said that it was merely a typing mistake and will modify it as soon as possible.

Tiwari said, "The entire sentence has been typed correctly, this cannot be done without planning and prior knowledge."

Manoj Tiwari also asked Arvind Kejriwal to apologize for the lapse.

In the below advertisement, it can be seen that Sikkim has been referred as a seperate entity. Sikkim, once a separate country, became an integral part of India in 1975. It merged completely with India to become the 22nd state of India.