Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) president Pawan Chamling will embark on a statewide “Sikkimko Maato Bachauney Abhiyan (Save the land of Sikkim campaign)” from Rongli on Monday, effectively sounding the bugle for the 2024 Assembly elections.
P.D. Rai, a senior SDF vice-president and former MP, said on Thursday that the campaign was in response to the growing demand of the public, particularly the youth, to put an end to the “regression” of the state under the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) government headed by chief minister P. S. Tamang (Golay). “It will continue till every district, town and village is covered,” he said.
Rai said there was a groundswell of support for the SDF under the leadership of the five-time chief minister Chamling after the three-anda-half-year-old SKM government had failed to deliver on its election promise of change.
“They promised a lot but delivered nothing. Sikkim has regressed and so the SDF has to step in again,” he said.
The SDF had lost the last election to the SKM in 2019 by a thin margin of seats despite garnering a higher number of votes. In the 32-member Assembly, the SDF had won 15 seats against the SKM’s 17. The next elections are due in a year-and-a-half’s time.
The SDF leader cited key issues that the SKM had promised to solve within days of coming to power, but was yet to do so. They include reservation of seats in the Assembly for Limbu and Tamang communities, Scheduled Tribe tag for 12 Nepali-speaking communities, tribal status for Sikkim, facilitation of the visit of Buddhist guru, Karmapa, to the state and income tax relief to the old settlers of the state.
Rai accused the SKM government of systematically destroying everything Sikkim stood for, including the sanctity of Article 371F, which provides special constitutional status to Sikkim. “Our tall leader, Pawan Chamling, will again lead the fight so that the empowerment of the people, so willfully denied by the present government, will be restored,” he added.
Accusing the SKM government of failure on all fronts, including economy, education and environment, Rai said the next government would have a lot on its platter in order to restore Sikkim’s sheen. “Our party will promise social justice, rural uplift and economic recovery,” he said.
