Kishan Morcha, (Study Forum) to investigate the authenticity of the organic mission in Sikkim

Tamanna Tamang, SNS, Gangtok, 24 September 2014: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling may have jumped with joy when Prime Minister Narendra Modi went gaga over the organic mission in Sikkim during his maiden speech a few months ago. 

However, Mr Chamling’s happiness was short-lived with a Central BJP leader now demanding the CM’s resignation for misleading the PM over the ‘State Organic Mission.’

Dhananjay Kumar Singh, In-charge of the Kishan Morcha, (Study Forum) is visiting Sikkim to investigate the authenticity of the organic mission. Mr Singh arrived here today and visited fields in Nimtar, a few kilometres from the Capital, after which he interacted with the media.

Mr Modi had praised Sikkim on the basis of the information given to him by the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government on the mission.

“However, we came to know that the statements were fake and misleading. Such irresponsible and fake statements of the SDF government could hamper the international relations which Narendra Modi has been galvanizing. Such statements may have less impact on the state, but the international relations will be in jeopardy and the entire nation could be labelled as a liar,” Mr Singh said.

“The false statement of the Sikkim CM had led to the Prime Minister of India making untrue declarations at the international level in Nepal and Bhutan. This is reason enough for the Sikkim CM to put in his papers,” he added.

According to him, the investigating team comprising state BJP president P Wangchuk, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha MLA Mechung Bhutia, Padam Sharma, Ashish Rai and YT Lepcha will be submitting its report to the Central government.

“The report will then be discussed in the Parliament,” he said, adding that the Centre will then decide on the action to be taken.

He said that a phased adoption of the organic mission as per the set norms will be good enough. “However, pesticides and fertilizers are being used in the name of organic mission,” he said. Mr Singh also criticized the SDF government for “misusing” funds granted by the Union government for the mission.

According to him, the SDF government is an anti-farmer government because of which many farmers have been facing financial crisis in Sikkim.

“Farmers who adopted the organic mission have their cultivation gone down by 50 percent and the state failed in buying their products at higher prices,” he said.

He said that 130 items produced in Sikkim had been sent to European agencies for testing, and that only three of them had been accepted as organic.

“When the state is not self-sufficient in agriculture and vegetable production, what is the motive of the chief minister in claiming Sikkim to be an organic state?” said Mr Singh.

He is scheduled to meet governor Shriniwas Patil regarding the issue here tomorrow.