Allegations and counters continue in the House

Golay walks out of Assembly

CM HAS STUBBED OUT THE CANDLE OF DEMOCRACY HE LIT IN THE ASSEMBLY: GOLAY
GANGTOK, 27 June: Disgruntled SDF MLA from Upper Burtuk, PS Tamang [Golay], walked out of the budget session today after he was interrupted while participating in the discussions on the annual budget by other members and the Speaker refused to allot him more time to speak because he was digressing from the topic of discussion [the Budget].
Mr. Tamang was countering comments made by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling [in response to points raised by Mr. Tamang] in his closing statement on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address yesterday.
Stating that he will stand by his words, he also submitted documents referred to in his discussion to the Speaker today. He added that if he was wrong, then the Speaker can use the privilege motion and initiate contempt proceedings against him.
Clarifying on his absence from the Assembly for the last three years, he said that the government and leader of the SDF party had appointed a proxy MLA, DT Lepcha, for Upper Burtuk to snub him and had also directed officials and Ministers not to accept his recommendations. He alleged that this ‘step-brotherly treatment’ on the directions of the CM was intentional and aimed at embarrassing him.
Referring to the ‘Rolu Picnic’ incident, he questioned the suspension of 31 officials and launching of departmental inquiry against them for what according to him was “nothing but a simple picnic on a holiday”. Refuting the allegation that he had turned sour on not being given a Ministerial post, Mr Tamang said that some ‘inside elements’ had conspired against him by circulating defamatory pamphlets during the 2009 Assembly elections.
Later, when he walked out of the House, the MLA criticized the role of the Speaker and said, “Sikkim Legislative Assembly is becoming undemocratic”. The MLAs, who support the Chief Minister were afraid of the evidence and facts he was going to reveal in the house against their leader and hence interrupted him, he contended.
He further demanded that the CM too step down on moral grounds since he too has a large number of pending cases against him. This was in obvious reference to the CM’s comment that he was not included in the Cabinet because of the chargesheet submitted in Court against him by the Vigilance Dorectorate.
Adding that it is not a healthy trend for Sikkim and its people that the government wants the Assembly to finish legislative business within five minutes, he stated that the “CM has put out the candle of democracy which he himself lit in the Assembly some 20 years ago”.
Responding to media queries, Mr Tamang said that time will create an alternative for Pawan Chamling in the days to come.


CM dismisses Golay outburst as irresponsible and unparliamentary

Leader of the House, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, in his reply to the discussions on the General Budget 2012-13, dismissed the charges and allegations leveled by the Upper Burtuk SDF MLA Prem Singh Tamang and commented that the MLA’s conduct in the House today was undemocratic, irresponsible and unparliamentarily.
On the documents Mr. Tamang submitted to the Speaker [to attest allegations leveled yesterday], Mr. Chamling said that the documents were not a collection of facts as was being suggested, but a collection of allegations with no substance aimed at maligning the SDF Government and denigrating the achievements and image of Sikkim.
Such allegations have been thrown up even in the Courts but have not stuck anywhere, the CM pointed out while suggesting that in resorting to regurgitating them again, Mr. Tamang was only notching up political points and not contributing anything to further the discussions taken up in the Legislative Assembly.
Elected representatives should behave and abide with discipline and decorum of the House and its privileges, the CM said.
Responding to the suggestion that Mr. Tamang stayed away from his constituency fearing victimization of his constituents, the CM said that this again was an empty claim an attempt at character assasination.
Taking up Mr. Tamang’s rejoinder that even the CM had surrounded himself with intellectuals and advisors from outside Sikkim, including the SU VC whom he had brought to Sikkim as his Economic Advisor, Mr. Chamling underlined that while subject experts and consultants from outside have been engaged, the Government has never surrendered decision-making to them. The government has sought counsel and then decided by itself in favour of the people, he stressed, adding that Mr. Tamang in contrast was just echoing what was being fed to him.
On the corruption counter posed by Mr. Tamang, the CM pointed out that although many politically motivated petitions have been moved against him in various courts of law, none of them have been proven or admitted. He also clarified that there the CBI had not registered an FIR against him on any case.
Responding to comments and suggestions forwarded by other MLAs, the Chief Minister applauded their participation in the discussion on the annual budget and reiterated his commitment to keep working towards improving on the pro-people schemes and policies of the government. The members had earlier lauded the Livelihood Schools concept, health mission, prioritization of the education sector and importance given to organic. Puran Gurung, Am Prasad Sharma, Dorjee Namgyal, Madan Cintury, Binod Rai, Beg Bahadur Rai, Tulshi Devi Rai, Tshering Ongdi Lepcha and Chandra Maya Subba participated in the annual budget discussion.