SKM celebrates foundation day, champions cause of poor

EOI, Jorethang, 4 January 2014: The political battle in Sikkim has intensified to a war footing with assembly elections in the state just a few months away. While the Sikkim Democratic Front-led government is hosting its Janata Mela at various places and distributing sops, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) today celebrated its first foundation day at Jorethang’s public ground with unprecedented fervor and enthusiasm.

The mammoth gathering at the event clearly indicated four-time chief minister Pawan Chamling and his SDF party will face a tough challenge at the polls from the fledgling SKM. Upon his arrival at the venue around 11:30 am, SKM founder Prem Singh Golay hoisted the party flag. The former SDF legislator launched the SKM exactly a year ago and he officially took over the party’s top post today. Golay was sworn in as SKM president by party advisor TM Rai. Addressing supporters that touched almost 17,000-18,000 people, the SKM chief announced the party has been formed with the aim of raising the living standards of the poor in the state. He said people erroneously refer to the SKM as Golay’s party, but it actually belongs to the people of Sikkim.

“I and the SKM exist because of the people’s support. The SKM belongs to the Bhutia, Lepcha, Nepali and Byapari (business) communities; it is the party of the Sikkimese people,” asserted Golay. Revealing his reasons for parting ways with the SDF and launching the SKM, Golay said: “The formation of the SKM had become inevitable. It came into being as a result of the current government’s corruption, communal bias and nepotism.” Lashing out at the SDF, he termed it a party devoid of philosophy and programmes. The SDF possesses only black money and nothing for the masses, claimed the SKM chief. Challenging the chief minister to a debate, he said: “I challenge the chief minister as he had once challenged Narbahadur Bhandari. Let him select a venue and invite us, we will debate before the public for the sake of the poor.”

Golay, who is a four-time and three-time minister, also slammed the SDF’s Janata Mela, alleging it is only promoting corruption. He said the chief minister is distributing tokens of promises that are limited just to paper. Asserting the SKM has given a voice to the poor, he urged them to speak for their rights. Golay further came down on Chamling for indulging in favoritism. “Big business houses, casinos, flower businesses are all being run by the sons and wife of the CM. All that the public is receiving is ‘Sapanako Laddu’ (sweets in their dreams).” Turning his attention towards educated youths and the state’s health sector, the SKM chief assured that if his party comes to power, educated youths will be given proper jobs and those with higher qualifications will be recruited as resource persons in various fields. Golay claimed the present government has entirely neglected the health sector and as such the poor are forced to queue up before government hospitals that are worthless.

The SDF government has done nothing to uplift the poor in its 20-year tenure, he alleged. Meanwhile, SKM vice president Bhojraj Rai said the only agenda of the party as of now is the removal of Chamling from the chief minister’s chair. Rai accused Chamling of selling the state to outsiders in pieces. “He sold our land, rivers, forests, environment and everything to outsiders,” roared Rai. He also said the SKM wants to provide a proper identity to the business community and that the party is looking to accord them Sikkimese status. The SKM foundation day also witnessed scores of new members joining the party. Noted personalities such as Dr MK Sharma, Sonam Dorjee, Kulbahadur Subba, Tenzing Lachungpa, BB Gurung, Tchewang Gyacho and Yat Tshering Bhutia among others joined the SKM during the event.

Further, around 240 Buddhists monks also joined the party along with some 2,000 supporters of the SDF, Congress and TMC from areas including Kavi-Anglong, Yoksom Tashiding, Namchi, Arithang, Ratepani and Rhenock. The SKM also released its party manifesto and collected funds for the Rhenock fire victims.