The golden jubilee celebration of Sikkim’s statehood continues to chase a date with destiny, and people hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will one day physically attend programmes in Gangtok.

Modi was scheduled to reach Gangtok around 11am on Thursday to be part of the golden jubilee celebration of the statehood.

The Prime Minister was, however, unable to fly to Gangtok from Bagdogra by a helicopter because of inclement weather. He then virtually addressed the gathering at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok from Bagdogra.

“This is a special day. I wanted to be part of this golden jubilee celebration and the successful journey of 50 years. I had started from Delhi early morning and reached Bagdogra, till your door, but not ahead because of the weather,” said Modi.

Sikkim became a state of India on May 16, 1975. Sikkim was ruled by Chogyals, monarchs of the Namgyal dynasty, from 1642 to 1975.

Sikkim was expecting Modi to attend the celebration on May 16. Chief minister P.S. Tamang (Golay) had said Modi would be part of the statehood celebration.

Even though Golay or the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had not confirmed the date, the state government made arrangements to receive Modi in case he decided to attend the May 16 celebration in Sikkim.

However, Modi could not attend the event, and many believe it was largely because of the India-Pakistan tension.

Last week, the PMO had confirmed Modi’s visit to Sikkim.

On Thursday, while addressing the gathering, Modi said he would visit Sikkim to attend the golden jubilee celebration.

“Whenever the state government decides, I will come to Sikkim and witness the state’s successful journey of 50 years,” said Modi.

The Prime Minister also acknowledged that Golay had been enthusiastically overseeing the details of the celebration.

“He (Golay) had come to Delhi twice for the invitation,” said Modi.

During the celebrations on Thursday, governor Om Prakash Mathur, on behalf of the Prime Minister, unveiled a ₹50 silver coin alongside a commemorative postage stamp issued by India Post.

The ₹50 commemorative coin, weighing 40 grams and measuring 44 mm in diameter, has been minted in pure silver (99.9 per cent) by the India Government Mint in Calcutta.

The coin has been issued as a non-circulating legal tender and will be available to collectors through the Calcutta mint.

Modi also virtually inaugurated five projects — the 500-bedded district hospital at Namchi, a park at Gangtok, a passenger ropeway in Gyalshing district, a statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a gaushala (cow shed) in Pakyong district.

The Prime Minister elaborated on the progress that Sikkim had made in the past 50 years and highlighted new initiatives by the government. “Today, Sikkim has one of the highest per capita incomes in the country,” said Modi.

He said investments were now flowing into the northeastern states.

“Recently, the North East Investment Summit was held in Delhi, where investors announced big investments in the entire northeast, including Sikkim. With this, there will be more jobs for the youths of Sikkim,” said Modi.

He added that the Centre was constructing the country’s first organic fishery cluster in Sikkim.

“To promote Sikkim’s organic basket, the central government is constructing the country’s first organic fishery cluster in Sikkim,” said Modi.

For a state which relies heavily on tourism, the Prime Minister spelt out his dream of converting Sikkim into a “global tourist destination”.

“The time has come for Sikkim to become a global tourist destination.... Our dream is to make Sikkim a hub of conferences, wellness and concert tourism. I want the world’s biggest artists to perform in the valleys of Gangtok,” said Modi, who highlighted the government’s commitment to connect every capital in the northeast through a railway network.

Modi referred to the Pahalgam attack and termed it as an assault on “humanity and brotherhood”.

“Tourism is not just about entertainment, but also a celebration of diversity. But what terrorists did in Pahalgam was not just an attack on India but on humanity and brotherhood…,” said Modi, who added that India unitedly gave terrorists a fitting reply through Operation Sindoor.

“After we destroyed their terrorist hubs, Pakistan, in a fit of rage, attacked our civilians and the army. This exposed Pakistan. By destroying many of their airbases, we showed them how precisely and swiftly we can act,” said Modi.