the first census of sikkim in 1891 showed that two-third of the population, 18,955 out of total 30,458 were now nepalese. immigration was also encouraged by colonial landlords in order to raise rents in otherwise densely forested sikkim. thus the 18th century saw the settlement of a large number of nepalese communities by way of conquest and migration. discrimination between the heterogeneous nepalese and other groups became a pressing social issue, however the government of the chogyal in its later years strove to treat all subjects equally as citizens, and allowed democratic changes to move forward. these democratic and demographic changes culminated in a plebiscite in 1974, resulting in union with india as a state. since joining india, indigenous groups have expressed anxiety over losing land, resources and power to those they view as non-sikkimese "far above [them] in terms of political consciousness, resource position, education and manipulative qualities."