Amid calls for a statewide Bandh by THE Sikkim Democratic Front party over immigrant row, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party celebrated its 11th foundation day in Namchi town under Namchi district on Saturday. Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay termed the Bandh as an ‘open challenge’ by SDF, promising to SKM supporters that he will now work ‘more as SKM President than Sikkim CM’.
The reason sorted by Golay for this change was, “As CM I have to take care of everyone, and look after them. But from now, I will work less as a CM and more as the President of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha Party.”
Taking the issue of his effigy being burned by SDF supporters on Friday, Golay said, “We never burned anyone’s effigy, otherwise as an opposition, we were so strong, we could have burned Pawan Chamling’s effigy a thousand times. Not through hiding but in public places. Our self-respect didn’t allow us to do. But I do not get affected by effigy burning. I don’t get happy with chants of Zindabad, I don’t get sad by chants of Murdabad. I can absorb anything.”
Challenging Chamling and the strength of the SDF party, Golay told his party workers, “Such corrupt and communal will be put in the right place, you all be ready. For 3 years and 9 months, we stayed in peace, we didn’t harm anyone. We did not oppose any meetings and never burned an effigy. Now we will test their strength. We are now in the revolution ground since yesterday when Pawan Chamling himself instigated something that never happened, an issue that he spoiled, he burned the effigy of a Chief Minister. It is shameful. The corrupt and communal of SDF are serpents with wretched heads. We stepped on their head in 2019. Now only their tail is wiggling. To put these serpents in the right place will take us only 6 months.”
Golay further accused Chamling of diving Sikkim on communal and caste based lines. He said, “When you began your (SDF) party you divided people based on communities. Who differentiated people based on community? Dividing the community on communal lines you did politics for 25 years. Our concept and mission is to unite the people of Sikkim into one garland. That is our motive and we are working towards it, irrespective of which community or caste they belong to. Our call is for one Sikkim as Sikkimese Bhutia, Lepcha, Nepali and old business community. His differentiation on community and religion, Sikkim is facing this misfortune. The work undone by 25 years government, we will do.”
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Questioning Chamling for not filing a review petition earlier during his government, Golay said, “If Chamling is talking now when the petition was filed then, why did you not object then? Why didn’t the then Advocate General object? The verdict came on January 13, our advocate general only said that all the lists were submitted during the time of Pawan Chamling. The Union Government issue from the perspective of income tax exemption is the prerogative of the Union Government.”
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