Chamling slams rival on jobs-for-all claim

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Jun 21, 2018, Pakyong: Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling on Wednesday ridiculed the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) for promising jobs to all unemployed youths in the state within 100 days of coming to power.

Chamling pointed out that when even a country like America provided government employment to only one per cent of the country's population.

Speaking at a mass contact programme here, 30km from Gangtok, Chamling said the Opposition's claim to solve the problem of employment within three months of coming to power was nothing but hogwash.

"Sikkim has a population of about seven lakh and the literacy rate is 99 per cent. If employment has to be given to all the educated in Sikkim, then all seven lakhs will have to be given jobs. Is that possible?," Chamling said, adding that the figure includes non-regular government jobs.

The chief minister claimed that Sikkim rate of employment in the government sector is higher even by the overall world figure of 5 per cent. "Who is trying to show the right path to the youths of Sikkim? If you don't follow the right path, you will not reach the proper destination. You have to accept the truth and not follow the wrong people," Chamling said.

The war of words between the ruling Sikkim Democratic Party (SDF) and rival SKM was fuelled by Chamling, who had earlier said he was ready to vacate his chair if the Opposition could absorb all people in government jobs.

The SKM accepted the challenge and asked the chief minister to resign immediately.

Chamling also took a dig at both SKM and Bhaichung Bhutia's Hamro Sikkim Party during his speech. "One party is being run from the jail, and the other party from Delhi," he said. The jail reference was for SKM since its president P. S Golay has been languishing in jail after being convicted in a corruption case, and the Delhi tag was for Hamro Party, which Chamling accuses of being propped up by the BJP.