New political outfit - Sikkim Swatantra Manch - launched

GANGTOK, 24 Dec: With a little more than a year to go till the next Assembly Elections scheduled for 2014, political activity has begun surging in the in the State and in the latest development, a new political outfit - Sikkim Swatrantra Manch [SSM] - was formally announced on 24 December. Addressing a press conference, the promoters of the new outfit informed that the party was formed on 09 December and its working committee with Khem Adhikari as president constituted the same day. The party has announced its decision to contest the next Assembly elections.
Apart from Mr. Adhikari, the SSM working committee has Chakrabir Rai, BB Chettri, Sundar Pradhan, Sangita Lepcha and Shiva Kumar Subba as vice-presidents, Mahendra Sharma as general secretary, Teknath Sharma as publicity secretary and SK Chandak as treasurer.
Addressing the press conference, the SSM president said that the party feels that the younger generation is lacking dedicated leadership in the State, a vacuum which the SSM intends to fill.
General secretary, Mr Sharma read out the 14 initial agendas of the party. He mentioned that the party will not launch any personal attacks on other politicians and instead focus on providing “good programmes” for the people.
The party, with admitted Left leanings, will not merge with any national party and not accept any member with a history of alcoholism or drug addiction, Mr Sharma announced further, adding that only members below 40 years of age will be included in the working committee.
Among the promised the party plans to approach the people with is a provision for Rs 15 lakh loan free of interest for 5 years, 5 acres of land to the landless, mission against gambling and corruption etc.
The general secretary added that the party will begin interacting with the public from the second week of January onwards.
On the Sikkim-Darjeeling merger issue, he stated that the party was against it as Sikkim has its own identity and Darjeeling should continue with its Gorkhaland demand. He further opined that the recently formed Democratic Alliance of Sikkim [DAS] comprises of people who have failed to achieve anything in the past.
Opposition parties in the state are only after personal attacks but do not have any programmes for the people, he further contended.
Responding to media queries, Mr Sharma accepted that corruption was increasing in the state but at the same time advocated against allowing CBI into the state in view of the protection of Sikkim’s old laws. He argued that if CBI were to become a genuinely autonomous body, then the party would welcome it to the state but at present the party feels that the CBI has not been doing a fair job.