Chamling completes election campaign with more commitments and appeal to vote responsibly -PURAN TAMANG

“SKM FULL OF REJECTED LEADERS”

JORETHANG, 10 Apr: Sikkim Democratic Front held its final state-level campaign meeting here at the Jorethang public ground today. The meeting, which featured the party president, Pawan Chamling’s last campaign speech for elections 2014 since campaigning ended today at 5 p.m., was well attended even as numerous supporters got stuck in monumental traffic jams and motorcades could be seen heading for the venue till late in the afternoon even after Mr. Chamling had finished his speech. Several groups returned without even reaching the venue today. Traffic was especially bad at sections between Singtam and Rangpo and Melli to Jorethang today, with some groups travelling from Gangtok taking eight hours to reach Jorethang!

Be that as it may, the day saw Mr. Chamling reiterate his call to the lay people and party supporters to vote responsibly and underlined that his detractors were unleashing unethical ploys like playing the communal card to distract people from noticing that they had no issues or plans.

The day also the CM make some new announcements [see box]. For government servants, he announced extension of retirement age from the present 58 years to 60 and an end to service extension.

He also announced today that police personnel up to the rank of ASI will be provided promotional increment along with scale, a benefit currently not available to them. With this move, police personnel will no longer have their increments and scale tied to post [which requires vacancies] and will receive increments in time-bound manner irrespective of whether they pick up the rank or not.

Also today, Mr. Chamling assured to work in housing options for Temi Tea Estate workers for their post-retirement days.

A significant announcement saw the Mr. Chamling announce that should SDF return to government, it would declare the Muslims and Christians of Sikkim as minorities [as was the practice at the national level], and with this initiative extend all attendant benefits and protections to the two communities in Sikkim. He assured to look into the logistic problems being faced by the two communities in Sikkim like the lack of burial grounds and said such aspects will be resolved soon.

Mr. Chamling expressed confidence that, “People of Sikkim will cast their vote to maintain the peace, prosperity and development in Sikkim and reject divisive politics”.

He went on to lambast the opposition SKM party of trying to divide the Sikkimese people on religious, caste and communal lines by playing up conspiracies and fanning paranoia among the people. He cautioned people against getting divided into segments created by the Opposition and underlined that communal amity was boon enjoyed by Sikkim which should not be squandered.

The Opposition was displaying a Taliban-like streak with its divisive politics and spite, he said.

SKM, he went on to add, was full of rejected leaders who were indulging in a “politics of violence” in a desperate bid to confuse and disorient people into voting for them.

The SDF government in Sikkim has always been constructive, maintained peace and unity in the state and also secured brotherhood between Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali communities. Here he alleged that the SKM party was targeting this unity and brotherhood of the Sikkimese people by fanning communal fears among the people and sowing divisions.

SKM has leaders who never believed in unity between the different communities of the state, said Mr Chamling further adding that SIBLAC has always protested provision of equal rights to other communities like the Nepalis and Limboos and Tamangs. A member of such an organization is the SKM candidate for the Sangha seat, so people should think carefully before casting their votes this election, he said.

On Sikkim-Darjeeling relations, Mr Chamling said that Sikkim has always supported the Gorkhaland demand of the people of the Darjeeling hills. “As for ourselves, we want to keep Sikkim as Denzong, not Gorkhaland,” he said.

During his speech, he also made a number of announcements and assured that all the demands placed by the people of Zoom Salghari constituency will be fulfilled. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE BY CHAMLING IN JORETHANG

• Muslims and Christians in the State to be declared as minority communities at par with the Centre.
• Police personnel upto the rank of ASIs to be given promotional increment along with scale.
• Ownership quarters to be allotted to the workers of Temi Tea Garden who are presently occupying it.
• All departmental employees’ retirement age to be extended to 60 years from 58 years at present and the same shall be applied to all new recruits in the future.
• Extension of service to be stopped.
• All rented shops at shopping plaza across the State to be granted ownership.
• Issues of all C and D grade government employees to be addressed
• Amusement Park to be developed at Jorethang.
• Surya Mandir to be built at all bazaar areas for Chhat Puja