Sikkim Solidarity Forum begins signature campaign for Gorkhaland

SIKKIM OBSERVER PAGE 1 March 26, 2011

Sikkim Solidarity Forum begins signature campaign for Gorkhaland

By A Staff Reporter

Gangtok, March25: The Sikkim Solidarity Forum for Gorkhaland (SSFG) has begun its signature campaign to press the demand for creation of Gorkhaland state in north Bengal.

The signature campaign began here on Monday during a press briefing by Forum leaders led by its Chief Convenor Bharat Basnett.

Some senior members of the local media were the first to endorse the Gorkhaland movement in the State with their signatures.

The Forum intends to collect one lac signatures within a month and submit it to Central leaders along with a memorandum on April 26 next month, Basnett said. This day marks the date when Sikkim joined the Indian Union in 1975, added.

The memorandum, along with the signatures, will be submitted to President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and leaders of national parties.

During its public meeting held in Pakyong, east Sikkim, on Wednesday Basnett alleged that the Nepali leadership in Sikkim had completely failed to meet the hopes and aspirations of the Sikkimese people for a united Sikkim with its unique and distinct identity intact.

Forum’s CC Shengderpa also addressed the media briefing and the public gathering.

DISSOLVE ASSEMBLY, HOLD FRESH POLLS: BHOJ RAJ RAI

Feudalistic elements & dictators running SDF: Golay

Subba denies role in Singling incident

Observer News Service

Gangtok, March 25: While denying that he had any hand in the recent Singling incident in west Sikkim where a supporter of dissident ruling party MLA P S Tamang was injured, Road and Bridges Minister RB Subba alleged that Tamang (Golay) was creating rift within the ruling party because he was not given ministership after the Assembly polls in 2009.

Briefing the media, Subba said he was not involved in Singling incident on March 18. He said the law should take its course regarding the incident.

The Minister said he was on door-to-door tour of the area for development work when the incident took place in which his vehicle was damaged and Golay’s supporter Rajen Tamang and his supporter Jiwan Gurung were injured in the clash that took place.

After the Singling incident Golay resigned from chairmanship of the State Commerce and Industries Development Board in “protest”.

In his resignation letter submitted to Chief Secrertary TT Dorji, the former Minister said the residents of the State were not safe and did not enjoy “democratic rights.”

He said, “Today, the people of Sikkim have lost their faith on the SDF party” and accused the party of “trying to retain its support base through threats.” He added that “only feudalistic elements and dictators have their say in the party.”

Reacting to the ruling party’s demand that Golay should resign from the Assembly, Golay’s lieutenant Bhoj Raj Rai, former MLA, said he and Golay are ready to contest the polls if the SDF dissolves the Assembly and hold fresh elections.

Upreti & Co expelled from Cong for anti-party activities

Observer News Service

Gangtok, March 25: After a prolonged war of attrition between the two Congress leaders, SPCC chief Nar Bahadur Bhandari and his deputy K N Upreti, the latter has finally be expelled from the party for anti-party activities.

The decision was taken during a party meeting held here today. The meeting, chaired by Bhandari, was attended by members of the Pradesh Congress Committee, District Congress Committee, frontal organisations and party supporters, according to a  release by Kunga Nima Lepcha, the party spokesperson.

Besides Upreti others who have been expelled from the primary membership of the party for four years are Phuchung Bhutia, Bharat Basnett, Avinash Yakha, Arun Rai, Laxuman Gurung and Nima Wangchuk  Bhutia.

The expulsion came after show cause notices were served on Upreti and others.

Dissidence within the party surfaced during the party’s recent elections of the SPCC chief. Both sides have accused each other of siding with ruling party chief and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling much against the interest of the Congress and the people in general.

Gurung opts for intellectuals to contest Assembly polls

Observer News Network

Darjeeling, March 25: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has fielded three prominent intellectuals to contest the three Assembly seats in the hills.

Former Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Trilok Dewan, has been given the prestigious Darjeeling seat.

Another prominent intellectual Harka Bahadur Chhetri, also the Morcha’s spokesperson, will contest from Kalimpong.

The Morcha has allotted the Kurseong seat to Rohit Sharma, who is the head of Commerce Department of Kurseong College.

Dewan (65), a retired IAS officer is a member of the Morcha’s Study Forum who participated in the tripartite talks.

While Chhetri, a doctorate holder in botany, teaches science at Kalimpong’s St. George’s School, Sharma, a member of the Morcha’s central committee, is an associate professor in Kurseong College.

The decision to field its own candidates for the Assembly polls, scheduled for April 18, came subsequent to the Morcha-initiated all-party meeting on Wednesday followed by Morcha’s central committee meeting over by party president Bimal Gurung.

Gurung said the earlier decision to field “consensus candidates” was dropped as party supporters wanted to field its own candidates.

“By participating in the elections, we are not backtracking on our demand for Gorkhaland. We will raise it in the Assembly and in the Parliament,’’ Chhetri said.

Tibetan Parliament-in-exile accepts Dalai Lama’s decision to step down

Dharamsala, March 25: The Tibetan Parliament-in-exile has accepted the Dalai Lama’s decision to retire from the role of temporal leader of the Tibetan people.

The Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, made this announcement today on the last day of the Budget session in the House.

The acceptance of the Dalai Lama’s decision to step down from political power by the House will lead to the amendment of the Tibetan Constitution, which is likely to be done during the special session of the Parliament in May this year, according to a resolution of the House passed here today.

The amendment committee will give its report by April 11 and then the Cabinet will discuss the issue with the Dalai Lama before it is placed before the House in May.

The proposed amendment intends to hand over the executive power of the Dalai Lama to Ganden Phodrang, the name given to the exiled government, will also be changed to Central Tibetan Administration of Tibet.

Ganden Phodrang refers to the institution of the Dalai Lama. Since the Dalai Lama is the political and administrative head of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, it was named as Ganden Phodrang.

Corruption charges slapped on Sikkim High Court Chief Justice

Observer News Service

New Delhi, March 24: Sixteen charges of corruption and irregularities have been slapped by a Rajya Sabha constituted panel against Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court Justice P D Dinakaran, who is facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament.

The committee comprising Supreme Court Justice Aftab Alam, Karnataka High

Court Justice K S Khehar and eminent jurist P P Roy issued the chargesheet to Dinakaran on March 16 and has sought his response by April 9, PTI reported.

The charges against him included possession of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, illegal encroachment on public property and land belonging to Dalits and other weaker sections, five Tamil Nadu Housing Board plots in favour of wife and two daughters, benami transactions, acquiring and possessing agricultural holdings beyond the ceiling fixed by the TN Land Reforms Act 1961, destruction of evidence, undervaluation of sale agreements, evasion of stamp duty and illegal constructions.

   This apart, Justice Dinakaran has been accused of resorting to irregular and dishonest administrative actions by fixing rosters of judges to facilitate dishonest judicial decisions while he was the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. He is also accused of adopting illegal transfers of judges and appointments of staff, the report added.

Justice Dinakaran was recommended for appointment as a Supreme Court judge in August 2009 but the move was stalled following the allegations against him.

The motion for Dinakaran's removal was admitted in the Rajya Sabha on December 17, 2009 following which Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari constituted the panel to probe the allegations.

While slapping charges against Dinakaran, the panel took into consideration various material furnished by the Income Tax department and Tamil Nadu government to justify the allegations against him.

Once the charges are proved before the inquiry committee, the motion for his removal will have to be passed in the Rajya Sabha. Once passed by a two-third majority in the  Upper House, it will go to the Lok Sabha.

The motion has to be adopted by both the Houses of Parliament in the same session, failing which, it will fall.

Once the motion for removing Justice Dinakaran is passed by Parliament, it will be sent for the approval of the President, who will take the final decision on the matter.

Eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, however, expressed more optimism. “It is a good development as Justice Dinakaran has been charged with serious misconduct and offence. He will have a tough time in defending himself as the panel has done a lot of investigations before filing the chargesheet,” he said.

EDITORIAL

OPEN CHALLENGE

Golay Plays Democracy Card

By resigning from the chairmanship of the State Commerce and Industries Development Board as a mark of “protest” against one of the Ministers in the Chamling Cabinet for the assault of one of his supporters, the four-time MLA and former minister, Prem Singh Tamang, who is popularly known to the locals as “Golay”, has now come out openly against the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front chief and Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling. Ever since the Assembly polls in 2004 Golay has been a thorn in his (Chamling) flesh. When Chamling tried to get rid of him by asking him to leave his home constituency of Chakung in west Sikkim and contest from West Pendam constituency in east Sikkim Golay revolted and forced Chamling to change his decision and allow him to contest from Chakung. In the last Assembly polls Chamling got rid of almost all SDF heavyweights but gave Golay a ticket from Burtuk near Gangtok in east Sikkim. All thought – and Chamling’s inner circle hoped – that Golay would lose but he returned to the Assembly for the fourth consecutive term.

After the polls Chamling did not include Golay in the Cabinet but left him on the sideline. In the past few years after SDF came back to power for the fourth consecutive term Golay gradually created his own space in Sikkim politics so much so that he nows has a substantial support in the rural area. His open admission that there is no democracy in Sikkim this week following brutal attack on one of his supporters is surely a challenge to Chamling, who has never failed to reiterate his democratic credentials. Golay has virtually accused Chamling of being a ‘dictator’, an accusation that Chamling once leveled against one of his arch political rival – Nar Bahadur Bhandari, former chief minister and President of the State’s Congress unit – when he led a pro-democracy movement in  early ’90s.  As the Opposition is gradually becoming united on charges of corruption and dictatorial rule against the Chief Minister the people, including SDF supporters, are more than happy that Golay has finally come out openly against the man who has ruled Sikkim for nearly 17 years at a stretch.