No allaince with BJP for polls: SKM

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, 17 Mar 2019, Gangtok: The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) on Saturday said it would not have a pre-poll alliance with the BJP and instead fight the Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections in Sikkim on its own.

Jacob Khaling, the SKM spokesman, said his party's decision to go it alone in the elections -- the voting for which will take place on April 11 -- was guided by the wishes and sentiments of the people of Sikkim.

"In deference to the views expressed by the people of Sikkim and their aspirations, our party has decided not to have an alliance with the BJP. We, however, will continue to maintain a cordial relationship with the national party," he said.

The central executive committee of the SKM, which is the main Opposition party of Sikkim, had on Monday authorised the party to go in for an alliance with the BJP, provided they both agreed on a common minimum programme. The committee had also listed eight points that it wanted incorporated in the common programme.

Asked what was the response of the BJP to the eight issues raised by the SKM, Khaling said since his party has decided against going ahead with the tie-up, it didn't pursue the matter further. "We will take up the issues with the BJP once we form the government," he said.

Some of the issues include no extension of the Citizenship Bill in Sikkim, restoration of Nepali seats in the Sikkim Assembly, reservation of seats for the Limbu and Tamang communities in the Assembly, granting of Scheduled Tribe status to 11 Nepali-speaking communities and Income Tax exemption for all Sikkimese, among others.

The BJP had unilaterally announced last week that an agreement on the alliance had been reached even though the SKM was guarded about it. Efforts to reach out to the state BJP leaders for their views on the latest developments proved futile.

The SKM spokesman said his party will field its own candidates in all the 32 Assembly seats and the lone Sikkim Lok Sabha constituency. "We are confident of forming the government by defeating the corrupt SDF government," he asserted..