Sikkim Observer July 9, 2011
Editorial
BLACK MONEY
No Escape For The Corrupt
The Supreme Court’s initiative on recovery of black money stashed abroad by Indian nationals is a stinging indictment of the UPA Government’s handling of the issue. It clearly distrusts the government’s lackadaisical attitude towards investigation of illegal wealth in foreign banks. While the court has questioned “serious lapses” in the probe against the culprits it has also noted that “possible criminal nexus” and “threats to national security” were “not even attempted” by the government appointed High-Level Committee (HLC) headed by the Union Revenue Secretary.
To ensure that the newly-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT)’s efforts to recover unaccounted black money stashed abroad is successful the Supreme Court has rightly directed all State Governments, Central and State agencies to extend full cooperation during the probe. The SIT will not only prepare periodic reports on the subject but will also create a strong mechanism within the system to detect and tackle unaccounted monies stashed abroad. Thus the new probe agency will not only expose the corrupt but will also ensure that such crimes are not repeated.
When Baba Ramdev made various attempts to bring black money home the UPA government and the ruling Congress party made a lot of fuss about the yoga guru’s integrity. Instead of probing into the complaint on black money and rampant corruption in the administration and outside of it the authorities targeted the complainant. Will those who went after Baba Ramdev now target the Supreme Court Judges who want the SIT to clamp down heavily on those responsible for stashing black money abroad? Obviously not. They will now be legally bound to follow the orders of the highest court of the land. Now that the judiciary has come to the aid of civil society will our politicians gracefully accept our parliamentary system of checks and balances?
Centre to seek legal opinion on new Gorkhaland council
Observer News Service
Darjeeling, July 8: The formation of Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority may take more time as the Centre is keen on seeking legal opinion on the issue before signing the much-awaited tripartite agreement.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was eager to clinch a deal with Gorkha leaders and sign the deal this week but this may take some time.
While Mamata wants to pass a Bill on setting up the new body in the next session of the Assembly Union Home Ministry reportedly wants to seek the opinion of Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati on the issue.
Sources said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has also favoured getting a legal opinion.
A final decision on the agreement would be conveyed to the state government only after it is confirmed that there is no unconstitutionality connected to it.
While Mamata wants holding direct elections to elect the proposed Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority, which will have legislative, financial, executive and administrative powers, the Home Ministry wants first to look into the constitutional validity of giving so much power to the interim set-up, particularly when Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leadership views the new council as a stepping stone to achieving a separate state of Gorkhaland.
The inclusion or omission of Gorkha-inhabited of Doars and Terai in the new body is also a contentious issue for all parties concerned.
As Opposition leaders in the hills openly criticize Morcha leaders for “sellout” the political upheaval in Andhra Pradesh for Telangana will surely add fuel to the fire for those who do not wish to give up the demand for Gorkhaland.
“We are keeping a close watch on the Telangana developments,” said Roshan Giri, GJM General Secretary.
“If Telangana is constituted, Gorkhaland has to be constituted too. The GJM should learn a thing or two from the sacrifices made by the Telangana leaders (MP and MLAs.) The GJM MLAs should immediately place a “Gorkhaland” Bill in the Bengal Assembly,” said Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) spokesperson Govind Chettri.
HOLLYWOOD Entertainment
Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh deported from Burma
Yangon, July 8: The military-backed government of Burma has deported Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh, who stars as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an upcoming movie, officials said.
The Malaysian actress arrived in the country's main city, Rangoon, on June 22 and was deported the same day because she was on a blacklist, a government official said.
The official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press, did not say why Yeoh was on the list. But Burma's repressive government has routinely rejected visa requests of journalists and perceived critics for years, Time magazine reported.
Suu Kyi spokesman Nyan Win confirmed Yeoh was deported but had no other details.
The Luc Besson movie about Suu Kyi's life, "The Lady," is due out later this year, and Yeoh has said she hopes her portrayal of Suu Kyi will raise awareness about the Nobel Peace Prize winner's story.
Suu Kyi, 66, spent most of the last two decades detained by the former military junta. She was released last year, just days after an election that her party boycotted and in which she was barred from being a candidate.
The vote was the nation's first in 20 years, and in March, the junta handed power to a civilian government. But critics say little has changed and the new government is merely a front for continued rule by the army, which has been in power here since 1962.
Yeoh visited Burma in December and spent time with Suu Kyi for the movie, which was filmed in neighboring Thailand.
Yeoh, a former Miss Malaysia, shot to international fame when she costarred with Pierce Brosnan in the 1997 James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" as a tough but beautiful Chinese spy. She has also starred in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha."
KHANDRO TSERING CHODRON
Female Tibetan Buddhist Master
She was truly a hidden treasure in the Himalaya
MICHAELA HAAS
Wherever she went, whether it be in a small park in India, or a hospital in Europe, inadvertently people would feel drawn to her. Not knowing anything about her, people would inquire as to who the petite Asian lady in the wheelchair was, noting they felt a special presence.
In his bestselling book "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying," her nephew, the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Sogyal Rinpoche, refers to Khandro Tsering Chödro as "the greatest woman master of our day." In her, he goes on to say, "you see very clearly what years of the deepest devotion and practice can create out of the human spirit. Her humility and beauty of heart, and the shining simplicity, modesty, and lucid, tender wisdom of her presence are honored by all Tibetans, even though she herself has tried as far as possible to remain in the background, never to push herself forward, and to live the hidden and austere life of an ancient contemplative."
Khandro Tsering Chödron passed away in France on May 30, 2011. She was one of the few Tibetans whose unusual biography could still offer a glimpse into what life in an untouched, intact Tibet had been like. Born in a small village in the mountains of Eastern Tibet around 1929, early black-and-white pictures show a beautiful, young woman standing tall but with a slightly shy gaze. Those who knew her during those years say she was gentle and reserved, but at the same time endowed with a somewhat wild, playful and independent spirit.
Her life story, populated by warriors and princesses, is so full of unexpected turns and dramatic events that it seems more like a mythical, yet sometimes cruel, fairytale. In 1949, she became the wife of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893-1959), the most revered Tibetan master of the 20th century. Authority on all traditions and holder of all main lineages, he was the heart of the non-sectarian movement in Tibet. In Tibetan Buddhism, the consort of a great master is regarded as his equal, and thus students worldwide revered her just as they did him.
Yet Khandro's happiness with Chökyi Lodrö in Tibet lasted only for six years. The year after their marriage, Chinese troops started to pile up at the borders. In 1955, just before the Chinese began to crack down on Tibetan masters and monasteries, Chökyi Lodrö and Khandro slipped out of their grip, disguised as ordinary pilgrims. Leaving almost all their possessions behind, they crossed on foot and horseback over the rugged terrain of the Himalayas. Their path took them from the high, arid plateau of Tibet, across mountain trails, glaciers and snow-bound passes into the kingdom of Sikkim.
Not long after their arrival in the safety of Sikkim, Chökyi Lodrö's health deteriorated. His death was eventually to occur just after receiving news that the three great monasteries of Tibet -- Sera, Drepung and Ganden -- had been occupied by the Chinese. His remains were enshrined in a small golden structure in the Sikkimese Royal Palace. Khandro was only about 30 years old at the time, but stayed on for decades, living near the shrine, spending most of her time in prayer. "She was still very young when Khyentse Rinpoche passed away," says her friend Dagmola Sakya, herself married to the great Tibetan master Dagchen Rinpoche, "but she remained at the palace temple, and didn't want to move. It shows how strong she is, a really extraordinary human being." Khandro always insisted that there was no separation between her and Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.
Khandro is the Tibetan word for dakini, or embodiment of feminine wisdom, and her name, Tsering Chödron, literally means "lamp of the teachings and long life." She was unanimously regarded as one of the most realized female Buddhist practitioners of our times. She was what Tibetans call a hidden master because her whole life she refused to sit on thrones and preach with words, yet taught by her sheer presence, beauty and example.
Some might have mistaken her humility for lack of self-esteem. But I believe her unassuming silence goes far beyond anything that could be labeled shyness. Buddhist practice, understood in all its profundity, is not about being special, it is about being truly natural. In Tibetan Buddhism, the absence of any sense of ego is the greatest and most fundamental accomplishment. It added grace and dignity to everything Khandro did. Despite her humbleness and silence, people could not help but be moved by her sheer presence.
Occasionally, a splinter of Khandro's sharp wisdom sparked through a casual conversation. Khandrowas always completely present in the moment, exhaling purity, innocence and love. Despite her status, she never put on any makeup or elaborate jewelry. Usually she wore a traditional floor-length wraparound Tibetan dress, her hip-long gray hair strung back in a knot topped with a green knitted cap above. The princess of Sikkim had knitted it for her, and Khandro was rarely seen without it. Her complete lack of vanity brought with it an immediate ease and poise when in her presence. One never felt intimidated around her -- only in awe, as if encountering a powerful, yet gentle force of nature.
For more than 30 years, Khandro lived by herself in Chökyi Lodrö's shrine room in Sikkim, before her nephew, Sogyal Rinpoche, brought her and her sister to Europe to ensure better health care. Thus, Khandro had come full circle. From living like a revered master's wife in the snow mountains of Tibet, to being a refugee in India, she finally found her home at Rigpa, one of the most influential Buddhist communities in the West. Though Khandro did not teach in a formal way, what she did say would often be so penetratingly clear that it became prophetic.
Her sense of humor was legendary. One of the first English words she picked up was "naughty girl" and she liked to use it whenever she had her own mind about something. Her caretakers admired her playful nature, and none of them ever heard her complain about all the friends and fortunes she lost in Tibet. When other Tibetans lamented the terrible loss that has befallen Tibet, she simply stood up and walked away. She passed away like a great practitioner -- lucid and aware, surrounded by her students and family. The light of the teachings shines on through her example and inspiration.
Industries dept under vigilance scanner
Observer News Service
Gangtok, July 8: The Sikkim Vigilance Department has registered a prima facie case against higher officials of Commerce and Industries Department and seven others, including NGOs and private parties, for indulging in corrupt practices.
They have allegedly siphoned Rs 1.25 crore meant for socio-economic development of ST & SC candidates, according to haalkhabar news portal.
The said amount was to be used for imparting capacity building training under Tribal Sub-Plan and Scheduled Class Sub-Plan of Social Justice Empowerment and Welfare Department for the year 2009-10.
Former Director and Assistant Director of Commerce and Industries Department, M/s Vision Sikkim Industries Pvt. Ltd., M/s Sikkim Motor Training and Engineering Institute., Scheduled Caste Entrepreneurs Service Co-operative Society, Prayas Marketing & Services Co-operative Society Ltd., Sikkim Damai Samaj, Daedal (P) Ltd., M/s Sikkim Food Processing Industries and M/s Deorali Varieties are said to be involved in the racket, the report said.
It is alleged that Commerce and Industries Department processed files and made payments without obtaining prior approval for the schemes.
M/s Vision Sikkim Industries Pvt. Ltd submitted proposal for imparting four months training in organic Food and Science and Technology for 15 ST candidates and 10 SC candidates at a total cost of Rs. 12.40 lakh. The same company also submitted another proposal on behalf of M/s Sikkim Motor Training and Engineering Institute for a four-month training of 15 ST candidates in production of fibre and earthen pots at a cost of Rs. 8.80 lakh.
It has been learnt that M/s Vision Sikkim Industries Pvt. Ltd and M/s Sikkim Motor Training and Engineering Institute did not have the requisite experience to undertake such trainings.
The Scheduled Caste Entrepreneurs Service Co-operative Society had submitted proposal for four months training in accounting software for 20 SC candidates at a cost of Rs. 7, 60,200 but spent only about Rs. 1.60 against the sanctioned amount.
Again, Prayas Marketing & Services Co-operative Society Ltd submitted a proposal for imparting 3 months training for 20 ST candidates on commercial art & banner making at a cost of Rs. 4.35 lakh. In turn, the company outsourced their training programme to one Citi Computers under a 2-month package at the rate of Rs. 1, 600 per candidate.
Supreme Court raps govt on black money probe
Observer News Service
New Delhi, July 8: A retired judge of the Supreme Court and former chief justice of Bombay high court, Justice MB Shah (73), will be the vice-chairman of the Special Investigations Team (SIT) constituted to monitor the probe into black money stashed abroad. The SIT will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge, Justice BP Jeevan Reddy.
A direction to this effect was issued by the Apex court on Monday.
A bench comprising Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar, which is seized of the issue raised in a PIL by noted jurist Ram Jethmalani and others, pronounced the order saying monies generated and secreted away reveal the degree of "softness of the State".
The bench directed that the High-Level Committee (HLC) constituted by the government to look into the issue of black money would be a part of the SIT.
The SIT will monitor the investigation and the steps being taken to bring black money stashed away in foreign banks.
Pulling up the government for the 'laggardly pace' in investigations into the issue of black money stashed abroad, the Supreme Court
The court criticised the government over the handling of black money cases saying that despite issues of large sums of unaccounted monies, allegedly held by certain named individuals, and loose associations of them, "the investigations into the matter proceeded at a laggardly pace".
The Supreme Court rapped the government over the manner in which it failed to take follow up action in the case against Pune stud farm owner Hasan Ali Khan and Kolkata businessman Kashinath Tapurias, accused of stashing away black money abroad.
“During the continuing interrogation of Khan and the Tapurias, undertaken for the first time at the behest of this Court, many names of important persons, including leaders of some corporate giants, politically powerful people, and international arms dealers have cropped up. So far, no significant attempt has been made to investigate and verify the same,” the court observed.
“This is a further cause for the grave concerns of this court, and points to the need for continued, effective and day to day monitoring by a SIT constituted by this Court, and acting on behalf, behest and direction of this court,” the court said.
The court also expressed its serious concern over the name of Khan being linked to an international arms dealer saying “there was still no evidence of a really serious investigation into these other matters from the national security perspective.”
“The fact remains that the Union of India has struggled in conducting a proper investigation into the affairs of Khan and the Tapurias. While some individuals, whose names have come to the adverse knowledge of the Union of India, through the more recent investigations, have been interrogated, many more are yet to be investigated,” the court said.(see edit on page 2)
Observer News Service
New Delhi, July 8: The Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran for filing motivated petition to delay the impeachment proceedings pending against him on corruption charges.
In a major setback for Dinakaran, the Supreme Court ruled that the impeachment proceedings against him would continue.
A bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi, C K Prasad and Karnataka High Court Chief Justice J S Khehar also vacated the stay against the inquiry against him on the charges of land grabbing, corruption and judicial misconduct.
The apex court also directed the removal of senior counsel P P Rao from the three member panel headed by sitting Supreme Court Judge Aftab Alam.
The bench of termed as "motivated" Dinakaran's plea for quashing the charges framed against him by the panel.
The three-member committee was initially expected to submit its report by June 24 this year, but now the inquiry report is going to be delayed.
Justice Dinakaran, whose elevation to the Supreme Court was put on hold following the media exposure of charges of corruption against him, is due to retire in May next year.
Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari had in January 2010 constituted a three-member panel comprising Supreme Court judge justice Aftab Alam, Karnataka high court chief justice JS Khehar and senior advocate PP Rao to examine the 12 charges framed in the notice of motion adopted by the House.
Dinakaran had challenged the proceedings on the ground that the panel had framed additional charges and was also independently conducting investigations and collecting material against him which, according to the judge, was not permissible under law. He has also sought recusal of senior counsel PP Rao.
The charges against the judge include land grabbing, accumulation of unaccounted assets, passing judicial order for extraneous considerations, following which his elevation to the Supreme Court was also stalled.
The apex court had on April 29 stayed the probe by the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel after Dinakaran expressed apprehension of a biased inquiry due to Rao's presence in the panel and that the committee had exceeded its jurisdiction.
SIKKIM OBSERVER JUNE 25, 2011
High Court acquits former minister P L Gurung in corruption case
By A Staff Reporter
Gangtok, June 24: The Sikkim High Court on Tuesday acquitted former minister PL Gurung of all corruption charged leveled against him by the State Government.
The single bench headed by Justice SP Wangdi in his order said the trial court “has not at all taken into consideration and completely overlooked the evidence of the witnesses” and has “summarily rejected” the claims “on pure presumptions and conjectures of prevailing market rate in the area without there being any cogent and tangible evidence.”
In October 2008, Gurung was sentenced by a local court to one year's imprisonment in a corruption case registered against him 16 years ago.
District and Sessions Judge S W Lepcha passed the order sentencing the former minister and also fined him Rs 5,000, in default of three month's additional imprisonment. The judge had convicted him for having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income amounting to Rs 33 lakh while he was a minister in the Nar Bahadur Bhandari government (1984 and 1994).
Murder accused Nicole Tamang in Nepal, CBI tells HC
Observer News Service
Kolkata, June 24: The CBI on Thursday informed the Calcutta High Court that Nicole Tamang, prime accused in the murder of All India Gorkha League chief Madan Tamang, has fled to Nepal after escaping from CID custody and steps were being taken for a red-corner notice against him.
CBI counsel Himangshu Dey submitted a report before a division bench comprising Chief Justice JN Patel and Justice Asim Kumar Roy stating that it had credible information that Tamang had fled to Nepal.
He said that at 7 a.m. on March 11, Tamang was seen crossing the Indo-Nepal border.
Interception of the mobile phones of Tamang's relatives also indicated that he was in Nepal, Dey submitted.
According to the report, Nickole had entered Nepal on March 15 this year with two of his aides. After his escape, the Morcha leader had stayed in several places in south India, including Kochi and Coimbatore.
In its report submitted to the court, the CBI said Nickole was in Nepal’s Pashupatinagar, just across the border from Darjeeling.
The CBI counsel said that steps were being taken to issue a red corner notice against him and Interpol has already been informed.
The court asked Dey to produce Nickole in court within four weeks. The matter would be taken up for hearing again on July 21, when the CBI would have to file another progress report.
Madan Tamang was murdered in broad daylight on May 21 2010 at Chowrasta in Darjeeling town where he was to address a public meeting.
Nicole, a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha central committee member, absconded after the murder and was arrested by the CID on August 15 from a hideout at Bijonbari in Darjeeling.
He disappeared from CID custody in Pintail village near Siliguri on August 21.
While the CID had claimed that Nicole had fled from its custody, his wife Pema Tamang filed a petition in the High Court alleging foul play by the state investigating agency and prayed for a CBI probe.
Pema had filed a habeous corpus petition in the HC asking the police to produce her husband before the court.
Editorial
CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION
Congress Stands Exposed
Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev are not the issue in the fight against corruption in India. Their character and credibility may not be up to the expectations of some people, particularly politicians of the ruling elite in India. Criticism and condemnation of their style of functioning and mode of operation in leading a nationwide crusade against corruption may also not be justifiable to some extent. Some people may also doubt their motive for their anti-corruption campaign due to their alleged links with political parties and the Sangh Parivar. But the fact is that India needs a real shake up in dealing with rampant corruption. Even our judges, generals and journalists are hand-in-glove with the establishment in looting public money. And they are all doing it out in the open. The politicians are not taking the lead on his vital issue even though we have perhaps the most clean and honest Prime Minister since independence. And when civil society, fed up of the growing nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen, has an opportunity to protest against rampant corruption in public life it is the ruling Congress leaders who have become obstacles in the path of transparency, accountability and good governance, which they so often profess to champion.
It is not just the Commonwealth Games corruption scandal and the 2G scam that have shaken the foundations of Indian democracy; the reluctance and opposition to the clean-up process initiated by men such as Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev by India’s ruling elite has dampened the nation’s march towards ‘Shining India’. The UPA government and the Congress party’s reaction that the campaign against corruption is politically-motivated has not convinced those who are fed up with the way things are. Their accusation that “unelected tyrants” have threatened “parliamentary democracy” are just lame excuses to stay in power and continue looting the people. The real threat to parliamentary democracy and secularism in India comes from those who feel that once elected it is their birthright to trample over the rights and dignity of the common man. The Supreme Court this week has rightly stated in the 2G scam case involving DMK MP Kanimozhi that “corruption” is “the worst form of human rights violation.”
The irony is when Ramdev has demanded that black money amounting to rupees four lakh crore stashed away by the corrupt in Swiss banks be brought back to India it is Congress leaders and UPA stalwarts who want to investigate into Ramdev’s alleged Rs 1100 crore ‘empire.’ Go ahead and probe Ramdev’s ‘illegal assets’. Send him to jail if necessary but for goodness sake don’t make a fool of yourself by making lame excuses. Fact is that Baba Ramdev has given a call to all, including political parties, to join the crusade against corruption. The BJP and others parties have joined the anti-corruption campaign. Why is the Congress party behaving in a peculiar manner?
BJP takes Sikkim hydel projects scam to PAC
‘Dubious companies’ forced to disclose details
Observer News Service
Gangtok, June 24: The Sikkim Power Development Corporation Ltd (SPDCL) has reportedly asked all the 27 private hydro power project developers in the State to furnish all relevant details about their companies.
This move follows directions from Ministry of Power and Public Account Committee (PAC) Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi to the Corporation.
BJP National Secretary Kirit Somaiya had earlier sent a report to the PAC alleging serious lapses by the State Government in the development of hydroelectric power projects in the State.
The allegations range from projects being allotted to dubious companies and shady deals. The BJP wants CBI probe into the State’s power projects to uncover corrupt practices running into thousands of crore of rupees.
The companies will now be forced to disclose details such as company profiles, memorandum of association, balance sheet and details of shareholders.
Earlier, the Sikkim BJP President, Padam Bahadur Chettri, alleged that the SDF government has not disclosed details of the “up-front” money received from the many power project developers. He alleged that this amount which should go to the state exchequer has been deposited into ‘personal accounts’ in foreign banks.
After holding a day-long anti-corruption dharna here last month the State unit of the BJP is currently on a 6-month-long padyatra in the State to expose the Chamling Government’s alleged misrule and rampant corruption in the administration.
During the party’s poll campaign in Assam, BJP President Nitin Gadkari said corruption to the tune of Rs 63,000 crore had hit Northeast states, including Sikkim, in development projects, including hydel projects.
Somaiya, who is part of the three-member team constituted by the party to probe into the charges, said, “All the seven states of the Northeast and Sikkim have been witnessing systematic looting of the state exchequer by politicians in power and officials.”
“The BJP will not remain a mute spectator to this loot raj and if required, we will approach the apex court to bring the culprits to book,” he added.
Referring to the State Government’s dealing with hydel projects in the State, the annual CAG report released here recently said the State Government awarded project works to private parties at “throwaway charges”, leading to neglect of “environmental issues”, loss of huge revenue and lack of development in the local area concerned.
“The State Government commenced award of hydro power projects to Independent Power Producers (IPP) without working out any effective modality and finalizing any plan or policy,” the CAG report said.
OBITUARY Tenzing Dahdul
A True Son of Sikkim
Jigme N. Kazi
The ’70s was a historic period in Sikkim’s long and checkered political history. The political turmoil in the former kingdom, which began in early 1973, led to the signing of the historic Tripartite Agreement on May 8, 1973 between the Chogyal of Sikkim, Government of India and leaders of three major political parties in Sikkim.
Led by former Chief Minister Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa of Sikkim Congress, the Indian-backed April 1973 agitation culminated in abolition of the monarchy, leading to Sikkim’s merger with its protecting power, India, in April 1975.
Inspired by the 12th Chogyal of Sikkim , Palden Thondup Namgyal, nationalist forces in Sikkim led by Nar Bahadur Bhandari not only opposed the ‘merger’ but fought against the Kazi Government’s devious tactics to deceive the people in what later came to be known as “the selling of Sikkim.”
But despite New Delhi’s tacit backing of anti-Sikkim and pro-India elements in the former kingdom led by Kazi and Co., the Bhandari-led Sikkim Parishad struggled to expose the many misdeeds of the fake democrats who led a phony revolution that promised freedom and democracy to the Sikkimese people. As time passed by the Sikkimese people came to the bitter realization of how their beloved country was mischievously and deviously gifted away by those who promised janta raj and greater political rights to the majority Nepali community.
The period 1973-79 was a sad and painful era in Sikkim’s recent political history. While the Chogyal was under house arrest, Sikkimese nationalists, who opposed the merger and wanted Sikkim to retain its distinct international entity while being close to India, were victimized, harassed and hounded. Many of them had to flee their homes to spend weeks in their jungle hideouts while leaders such as Bhandari, AK Subba and ‘Capt’ Sonam Yongda were jailed for their pro-Sikkim stand.
One such leader who stood firm and resolute in this hour of crisis was Tenzing Dahdul, who is often referred to as ‘Tholung Agya Maila’. The second son of Tholung Pipon (Pipon is the village headman), who was a prominent leader of the minority Bhutia-Lepcha tribals, Agya Maila breathed his last on June 15 last week on Saga Dawa, the thrice-blessed day for Buddhists.
He leaves behind his wife, three sons and a daughter.
While his father died in 1980 his mother passed away only very recently and among the survivors of the Tholung family are his three brothers and five sisters. Though the main Tholung families now reside in Mangan, headquarters of north district, they belong to Tholung, a remote area north of the Lepcha-inhabited region of Dzongu. Close to Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain, the abode of Sikkim’s Guardian Deity Khangchendzongpa, the Tholung family has traditionally been given the rare privilege of being the guardian and keeper of the Tholung Gompa (monastery), where rare and precious holy scriptures and articles belonging to Sikkim’s patron saints, including Lama Lhatsun Namkha Jigme and Jigme Pao, are kept.
Agya Maila was 73 when he passed away. He was unwell for a while due to heart ailments. To those around him he gave enough indications that his time was up.
Elected to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly on Sikkim Parishad ticket in the historic 1979 Assembly polls from Lachen-Mangshilla constituency from the tribal-dominated north district, Tenzing Dahdul remained firm to his ideals and principles to the very last. He was a simple, straight-forward villager who was not only the pillar of Tholung family but a prominent leader of the Bhutia-Lepchas and a true Sikkimese.
When the Assembly seat reservation of his community, the Bhutia-Lepchas, was under attack politically and legally in the ’70s and ’80s Tenzing Dahdul came out in the open and defended his community valiantly and successfully. That the Bhutia-Lepchas continue to have 13 reserved seats, including the lone Sangha seat, in the 32-member Assembly is mainly due to the efforts and sacrifices of people like Tenzing Dahdul, who was not only a petitioner in the seat reservation case in the Supreme Court but actively defended his case in the people’s court and sought to champion Sikkim’s special status within the Union.
And yet this was the same person who refused to accept chairmanship in the Bhandari Government mainly because he felt that due to his lack of formal education he would not be able to do justice to the post. He was perhaps the only Parishad MLA who did not accept any official post in the Bhandari Government (1979-1984).
And yet it was largely due to his help that another of his Parishad colleague, Athup Lepcha of Dzongu (North Sikkim), was able to defeat Kazi from Dzongu Constituency in the 1979 Assembly polls. This historic victory against the man who ‘sold Sikkim’ not only vindicated the Sikkimese people’s struggle to preserve their own distinct political identity but also gave peace and hope to the people who longed for truth and justice to triumph.
After Parishad merged with the Congress party in July 1981 Dahdul remained a loyal and faithful Congressman till the very end. He once told me, “We cannot and must not go against the Congress party because it is Gyagar Jheung (Government of India).”
Today, a portrait of Rajiv Gandhi still hangs in his drawing room at Tholung House in Mangan, a constant reminder where his loyalty lay. Though he was not an active Congressman or politician when he passed away Agya Maila was a prominent social worker and a face in the crowd in Sikkim, particularly in North Sikkim.
A few months after his death in 1982 the Sikkim Assembly paid rich tributes to “the last representative” of the Namgyal Dynasty: “During the hour of his trial, when his very throne was at stake, Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal stood like a rock and sacrificed petty considerations for the lofty ideal he had espoused…. And his descendents will be able to walk with their heads held high whatever their circumstances in life happen to be.”
In his own way Tenzing Dahdul, too, stood like a rock and sacrificed petty considerations for the lofty ideal he had espoused. His family members, friends, well-wishers and descendents will, therefore, be able to walk with their heads held high whatever their circumstances in life happen to be.
Tenzing Dahdul is now no more but his deeds and dreams will live on in the hearts and minds of generations of Sikkimese yet to be born.
