Upreti and Bhojraj lash out against SDF claims and allegations on Sikkim University

GANGTOK, 12 July: The Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee vice president, KN Upreti, a former Education Minister of Sikkim, today challenged the Sikkim Democratic Front’s claims of having brought a central university to Sikkim. He asserted that the credit cannot be taken by SDF alone and contended that a Central University was sanctioned for Sikkim during the Sikkim Sangram Parishad government of Nar Bahadur Bhandari but was kept in abeyance due to shortage of post-graduate students.

Meanwhile, former SDF MLA, Bhoj Raj Rai, now aligned with disgruntled SDF MLA PS Tamang, in a press release issued today, condemned the statements issued by the ruling front against the Sikkim University Vice-Chancellor and released a point-by-point response to allegations lobbed by SDF spokespersons against the VC recently.
On aspersions cast on the administration of the university and allegations that the VC has stone-walled State Government initiatives towards expanding access to higher education in Sikkim, Mr. Rai has demanded the setting up of fact-finding inquiry committees staffed by central government officers to look into contentions and suggested that such measures would be more advisable than throwing up such allegations in the media.
He has also suggested that instead of accusing the VC of indulging in politics for having gone to the media with his complaints against the State Government, the ruling party should consider the fact that there could be substance in what the VC was saying.
Only the SDF allegation the VC has hurt the self-respect of the Sikkimese people, Mr. Rai counters that the VC has in fact elevated the confidence levels and pride of the Sikkimese by chaperoning Sikkim University in a direction where, despite its young age, the university has undertaken reforms and initiatives which have not been attempted anywhere in the country thus far.