Time for “an eye for an eye”, says Golay

NAMTHANG, 31 Oct: Dissident SDF MLA from Upper Burtuk constituency, PS Tamang (Golay) lashed out again at the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front government today in South Sikkim. While addressing a public meeting here at Namthang Bazaar, Mr. Tamang accused the SDF government of misusing power.
“The definition of democracy under the present regime is ‘Bye the people, Far the people and Off the people”, said the dissident MLA who maintained that he was still a member of the SDF party.  In this regard, he claimed that the SDF party supremo does not have the courage to remove him from the party since other founder members and party supporters will also leave the party if he makes such a move.
Also today, Mr. Tamang said that although he respects Gandhi and his philosophy, the era of Gandhism is gone and that he and his supporters should not be expected to leave aggression go unanswered.
“We will not tolerate high handedness”, he added.
He further claimed of saving the SDF government during the Employment Exchange movement of 1997 and contended that the CM continues in power because of this intervention by him.
Retaliating to allegations of misguiding the youth, he countered that it was the SDF which was misleading the youth through the power of money. He cited the raid on his wife’s house who is a government school teacher by the Vigilance as an example of the misuse of power by the ruling government.
He went on to allege that some of SDF colleagues like GM Gurung and others were scared of the ‘vigilance threat’ leveraged against them, he demanded that the Chief Minister allow the CBI into the State and investigate him as well as the CM.
On allegations of inciting violence, he put the ball in SDF’s court recounting the recent attack on Congress leader JB Darnal in Namthang and suppressive tendencies like forcefully stopping former CM NB Bhandari and Bharat Basnet from making public speeches, also in Namthang.
Here he expressed his condemnation on the recent clash at Namthang and blamed it on area MLA, Minister Tilu Gurung, and his former Ministerial colleague GM Gurung and SDF supporters of attacking his supporters. He also said that, the candle of democracy lit by Chamling has now become forced democracy where shutters are downed in violation of one’s basic fundamental rights. Namthang too had shut down today, like Yangang had done the day before when the Golay group had organised a meeting there.
Highlighting some of the agendas which his proposed political party will take up, Mr Golay said that his party will give preference to merit and will always oppose backdoor entries and corruption if the party comes to power. Further, he stated that indirect taxes will be done away with and payment of salaries as per scale will be made even during the probation period to all government employees. The latter, he alleged was stopped by the SDF government in order to redirect the funds to repay debts.
The meeting was also addressed by Bhojraj Rai, Jacob Khaling, Birbal Subba, MN Dahal, Bharat Basnet, Nima Theeng, Sonam Lachungpa and others.