Your editorial ('The Long War', #285) is really disgusting. In fact, the mortal history of Sikkim is being repeated in Nepal. In 1973, India organised riots in front of the palace of Chogyal the way it is doing in Nepal in front of Narayanhiti. Just as the Indian agents in Sikkim did then, the parties in Nepal are also moving a formal request for protection from India. As Chogyal was abused, the king of Nepal is also being abused. India had only one Lendup Dorje in Sikkim. The pride of our nation, we have many: Prachanda is number one and Baburam number two. Matters came to a head in 1975 when the Kazi appealed to his masters in Delhi for representation and change of status to Indian statehood because he was served with the threat of assassination. Prachanda is doing the same. Election was not the choice of anybody. What was needed was the 1975 referendum and merger of Sikkim in India. People have fought for centuries in the name of the motherland. We will too. But Nepal is certainly not Sikkim.

Sriram Chaudhary,
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