Former chief minister and Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) president Pawan Chamling on Sunday made light of the recent mass exodus of his party’s supporters and senior leaders to the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and vowed to come back stronger.

In his first reaction to the switch of about 5,000 supporters, Chamling accused some of them of being “hypocrites” and likened them to animals seeking greener pastures.

“They (the animals) live in a green pasture until they finish the grass there and then they move to another place with more grass. For the moment, the SDF has nothing to offer them (the deserters). So they have moved to the ruling party. They will leave the SKM when it loses the election in the future,” he said.

The former chief minister, who ruled the Himalayan state for a record 25 years, said he, however, had sympathy for some of the SDF supporters who, he alleged, had been “misguided, intimidated and forced” to join the ruling party. “I have heartfelt sympathy for such dear people. They are physically with the ruling party but in their mind and heart they are with us,” he said in a Facebook post.

About 5,000 SDF supporters and leaders had joined the SKM at a massive joining programme in West Sikkim on Monday. The senior leaders included vice-president (organisation) and former minister O T Lepcha, former minister Menlom Lepcha, former advisor of the urban development department Sher Hang Subba and former chairperson of Sikkim OBC Board and women’s leader Bina Rai.

Chamling accused the deserters of trying to capitalise on the prominence given to them by the SDF.

“All those so-called leaders who have left the SDF are now selling their post and position that they earned in the SDF,” he said.

“The former ministers, former MLAs, former chairpersons, former this and former that, they are now merchandising the names and titles that the SDF gave them.”

The SDF president also accused such leaders of being responsible for the defeat of his party in the last Assembly elections.

“People wanted to support the SDF but they had seen hypocrites in the party who were behaving like saints in front of us and bullying people when they were in the field… Mark my words. The SDF will come back stronger with renewed energy and strength. The best is yet to come,” he asserted.