HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN      July 11, 2012

Former king Gyanendra of Nepal wants to be reinstated

Kathmandu, July 10: Nepal's deposed king Gyanendra Shah has said for the first time that he wants to return to the throne, Xinhua reported.

In an interview, the former monarch told News 24 television channel that he had made an agreement six years ago with the country's political parties that he would be a constitutional monarch. But the government abolished the monarchy in 2008.

The ex-king said he did not want to be active in Nepal's politics, but did want a largely ceremonial role, BBC reported.

Shah's latest comments have come at a time when Nepal is amid political turmoil, with political parties finding it hard to agree on new constitution for the country.

"Monarchy may comeback if Nepalese people wish," Shah said.

"Country was suffering due to failure of the Constituent Assembly to deliver a constitution," Shah added.

The constituent assembly was recently dissolved after political leaders' failure to reach such an agreement. Fresh elections are planned for November. But Nepal is in a political vacuum at the moment.

On Saturday, Shah turned 66 and celebrated his birthday in a ceremony held at his residence in the capital.

Hundreds of well-wishers, relatives and pro-monarchist political activists were present at the function.

Rebel Maoist leader Baidya wants Bhattarai’s resignation

Kathmandu, July 10: Maoist leader Mohan Baidya has reiterated his call for immediate resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to resolve the political stalemate in Nepal.

Baidya, who broke away from the ruling United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists to form his own Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist, is said to have asked for Bhattarai’s immediate resignation when he met Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) here on Sunday.

The two leaders discussed on ways to come out from the present deadlock, reports said.

 “Prime Minister Baburam should tender his resignation first to move in the direction of forging consensus. To resolve the deadlock through revival of Constitution Assembly or to hold the CA election once again PM Baburam’s resignation should be the beginning point”, Baidya is quoted as saying.

The hardline faction of the Maoists led Baidya had earlier alleged that Maoist-led government has deviated from the party’s official line and has demonstrated “needless flexibility” with the “expansionists” and “imperialists”.

Meanwhile, former prime minister and United Marxist Leninist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has also called for Bhattarai’s resignation.

He said Bhattarai’s excessive lust for power is pushing the country into further chaos and uncertainty.

“If we recall Baburam had claimed that he will tender his resignation within 45 days if he failed to meet the expectations. It has already been 9 months since he is stuck to power,” Nepal said and added, “This is one of the best examples of a Prime Minister’s naked lust for power.”

 “The only alternative for consensus is Prime Minister Baburam’s immediate resignation,” Nepal said.

Rail connectivity to link neighbouring countries with Northeast

Guwahati, July 10: India's landlocked northeast may soon have rail connectivity with the neighbouring countries of Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. This initiative is aimed at boosting bilateral trade, development and tourism in the region.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has submitted a field survey report to the Railway Board which envisages connecting the northeastern states, Bihar and West Bengal with neighbouring countries, including Nepal reports reveal.

"We have already sent the report to the Railway Board and waiting for them to reply back to us, he added. There has been a long standing demand from the northeastern states for expanding the railway links to the neighbouring countries," said a senior NFR official.

The proposed rail lines include Jagboni in Bihar to Biratnagar in Nepal, New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to Kakrabita in Nepal, Hasimara in West Bengal to Phuentsholing in Bhutan and Pathsala in Assam to Namlang in Bhutan.

The other proposed rail links are Rangiya in Assam to Samdrupjonkhar in Bhutan, Banarhat in West Bengal to Samtse in Bhutan, Agartala in Tripura to Akhaura in Bangladesh and Kokrajhar in Assam to Geleka in Bhutan, the official said.

There are also plan to connect Myanmar through Jiribam and Moreh in Manipur. "We are going to carry out the survey regarding the connectivity with Myanmar very soon," he said.

Editorial

CONDEMNABLE ACT

Cong Facing Graft Heat

The attack on RTI activist Akhil Gogoi by Congress supporters in Assam when Gogoi was inspecting the flood situation in that State is not only unwarranted but condemnable. Gogoi has been actively opposing the ruling Congress party in Assam for its various misdeeds, including corruption. As Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal put it, Gogoi  “is a credible voice against corruption” in the entire country. Only the UPA government at the Centre and State governments in the northeast know how corrupt they are. The Centre runs puppet governments in India’s neglected northeast the way the United States has been backing dictatorial regimes in the Middle East. One day these regimes will fall and then what.

The people in the Northeast are completely fed up with corruption in the administration and insensitive governments. There is a lack of credible leadership in this region where the people are torn between gun-wielding insurgents and corrupt politicians. Political parties – opposition as well as the ruling – in most of the States in the Northeast are hand-in-glove in corruption. The media’s role in any situation is to provide informations to the people; it cannot and must not get directly involved in public affairs. Conscious citizens, therefore, must form a third alternative to counter the present political scenario in the Northeast. There can be 

a ‘middle path’ if like-minded people come together and chalk out a different strategy for the people of the Northeast. At best the Press can and should become a catalyst towards achieving this goal, which not only will benefit the people in the region but the nation at large.

Lhasa, Lijiang to develop self-drive tourism along tea-horse route

The Tea-horse Ancient Road was considered a corridor of economic and cultural exchange for southwest China. Photo shows a train of horses carrying goods on the tea-horse road. [Photo Source: china.com.cn]

Tibet's capital of Lhasa and Yunnan Province Lijiang will develop a new self-drive route from Lijiang to Lhasa via Shangri-la and the Tea-horse Ancient Road, according to the Tourism Bureau of Lhasa City.

The project to open the 2,000-km Lijiang-Lhasa Route is designed to serve those travellers who prefer outdoor sports and are experienced in wildness survival, said Wang Ping, deputy director of the bureau.

It will take self-drive visitors about five days to reach Tibet by the route. They can also appreciate picturesque views and experience the profound cultural tradition along the world-famous Tea-horse Ancient Road.Once the project starts, supporting facilities such as service centers and gas stations will be built and if necessary, the Lijiang-Lhasa air route will be opened in the future, Wang added.

China, Bhutan want to establish diplomatic ties

China is willing to complete border demarcation with Bhutan at an early date

Meeting for the first time, Prime Ministers of China and Bhutan have expressed their willingness to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries and discussed measures to resolve border dispute.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Bhutanese counterpart Jigmi Y Thinley had a surprise meeting on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development at Rio de Janeiro (last month) and expressed desire to establish diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Thinley said his talks with Wen carry great historic significance as it marks the first meeting between the top leaders of the two governments, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua quoted him as saying.

Wen told Thinley that China values the traditional friendship between the two nations and respects Bhutan's choice for its developmental path according to its own national conditions.

China pursues a foreign policy of good-neighbourliness and is ready to forge formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Wen informed the Bhutanese leader.

China is willing to complete border demarcation with Bhutan at an early date and strengthen exchanges in various fields so as to push bilateral ties to a higher level, he said, appreciating "Bhutan's staunch support of China's position on issues concerning Taiwan and Tibet".

Stressing on the historic significance of their meeting, Thinley said that Bhutan wishes to forge formal diplomatic ties with China as soon as possible, the report said.

Thinley told Wen that Bhutan is willing to settle border issues with China in an cooperative manner, enhance bilateral economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges, and carry out close communication and coordination in international and regional affairs.

The Bhutanese, he said, highly appreciate China's endeavour to safeguard the common interests of developing countries in international and regional affairs.

Though neighbours, the two countries have not yet established diplomatic relations as Bhutan, a strongly ally of India, had remained aloof since 1951 after China took firm control of Tibet, which formed borders with Bhutan.

Relations between Beijing and Thimpu have traditionally remained strained following border dispute.

The two countries share about 470 km long contiguous borders and have held several rounds of talks to resolve the dispute and signed for the first time an agreement promising to 'Maintain Peace and Tranquillity on the Bhutan-China Border Areas,' in 1998.

Any settlement of the Bhutan-China border is significant for India as Chumbi Valley - a vital tri-junction between Bhutan, India and China border - is 500 km from Siliguri corridor and the "Chicken Neck" which connects India to its Northeast states and Nepal to Bhutan.

Indian strategic analysts say that the Chumbi Valley is of geo-strategic importance to China because of its shared borders with Tibet and Sikkim. (Deccan Herald)

Teesta Urja ends feud with Sikkim, gives 26% stake to State   

Teesta Stage III hydel power project site in Chungthang in North Sikkim. (right)

                             

Mumbai, July 10: Teesta Urja, which is developing the 1,200-mw Teesta III in North Sikkim, has resolved the long-standing dispute with the Sikkim Government by allocating 26% stake to it, paving the way for speedy execution of the project, sources involved with the development said.

In a board meeting on Friday, private developer Teesta Urja approved the transfer of around 30 crore shares, representing 26% stake, for a total consideration of Rs 296 crore, sources said. This comes at a time when the Sikkim Government has reportedly cancelled four hydropower projects, including the 280-mw Teesta I, due to local opposition and environmental issues, The Economic Times reported.

Teesta III too has been marred by delays after it was hit by an earthquake in 2011 and also due to a prolonged dispute between Teesta Urja and the Sikkim Government over allocation of shares.

"The shareholding issue has been resolved. This would help us in raising additional funds needed for the cost overruns and expedite the project so that we can commission it in September 2013, or latest by December," a top official from Teesta Urja told ET.

The cost of the project was originally pegged at Rs 5,700 crore, but it has gone up due to delays. However, company officials declined to comment on the quantum of additional cost. 

122 candidates file nominations for GTA polls

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with GJM’s Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri (file photo)

Darjeeling, July 10: Filing of nominations for the July 29 Gorkhaland Territorial Authority (GTA) polls ended on Monday. The GJM has fielded candidates from all the 45 seats. The CPM has put candidates from 13 seats while the Trinamool Congress has put up its candidates in 18 constituencies.

The last date of withdrawal is July 12. Results will be declared on August 2 and the GTA formation would be completed by August 10, PTI reported.

GJM president Bimal Gurung has filed his papers from Tukvar, his native village in Darjeeling sub-division, while his wife Asha submitted her nomination for Darjeeling sadar seat. Party general secretary Roshan Giri filed his papers from Sitong Latpanchar in Kurseong sub-division. The GTA has total 45 seats — 22 in Darjeeling sub-division, 10 in Kurseong, 13 in Kalimpong.

A total of 122 candidates have filed nominations for the July 29 election to the 45-member Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the new body for governing the Darjeeling hills in northern West Bengal, officials said.

A total of 63 nominations were filed on Monday, the last day of filing nominations, the authorities said.

The three picturesque Darjeeling hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseyong and Kalimpong have been on the boil for nearly three decades due to anti-government protests over the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The hills had witnessed killings, police crackdowns and long shutdowns which severely impacted the hills' economic mainstays - tea, timber and tourism.

On July 18 last year, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM, and the state and central governments for setting up a new autonomous,e lected GTA, a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in the late 1980s.

GTF out of hill contest, to stick to Gorkhaland demand

    GTF leaders with former Speaker PA Sangma

Kalimpong, July 10: The Gorkhaland Task Force (GTF) has decided not to contest the polls to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). It has decided to pursue its statehood demand.

The GTF said it would not contest the GTA polls because it sees the exercise as a ploy by the state to claim that people in the hills have given up the statehood demand.

“The GTA election is the ploy of the state government to establish that the hills and the 18 (added) mouzas have accepted GTA as an alternative to Gorkhaland,” said Anos Das Pradhan, the chief co-ordinator of the GTF.

 The GTF comprises of CPRM, ABGL, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisang, Gorkhaland Rashtra Nirman Morcha and the GNLF-C.

Pradhan said the GTF would work towards creating an opinion against the polls. “Those who take part in the election either as Independents or voters are all anti-Gorkhaland,” Pradhan said.

 He added that parties taking part in the polls would lose the moral authority to lead a movement in the name of Gorkhaland in the future.

Cong councillor held for assault on Team Anna member Akhil

Akhil Gogoi has been raising his voice against corruption: Kejriwal

Guwahati, July 10: RTI activist and Team Anna member Akhil Gogoi was attacked and critically injured by suspected youth Congress activists in Assam's Nalbari district on Friday.

Police on Saturday arrested Tapan Barman, Congress councillor of the 23 Pachim-Khetri Dharmapur Anachalik Panchayat, in connection with Friday’s attack on Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) general secretary Akhil Gogoi at Purni.

Barman has been remanded to the judicial custody by the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nalbari.

Gogoi, who had gone to Punni village in Dharmapur area of the district to take stock of the flood situation, was allegedly attacked with sticks and other sharp weapons, the police said.

Gogoi filed an FIR at the Nalbari police station alleging that the attack was carried out by six youth Congress activists at the behest of Assam Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilamani Sen Deka, who represents Dharmapur Assembly constituency.

The 12-hour Nalbari district bandh called by the KMSS and supported by AGP and BJP and some other organisations, was peaceful and evoked mixed response in the district. It was total in Nalbari town and partial in other places of the district.

The Nalbari district unit of the AASU condemned the incident.

 A day after the attack, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday slammed the Central government, saying that this was something the country cannot tolerate.

"Yesterday, Akhil Gogoi was attacked by some people in a village when he had gone to take stock of the flood situation in that particular place. It is being said that the people who attacked him were youth Congress workers. He was alone and it seems some media people protected him. With the kind of attack he faced, he would have been killed, if media persons had not saved him," Kejriwal said.

"He (Akhil Gogoi) is a credible voice against corruption. He has been raising his voice against corruption for many years,” Kejriwal said.

Mukherjee has majority support in Northeast: Cong

Agartala, July 10: UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee has won the support of all key regional parties in the Northeast, Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro said here on Saturday.

Of the eight north-eastern States, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur are ruled by the Congress. The CPI-M rules Tripura, the Naga Peoples Front (NPF)-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) governs Nagaland while the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) is in power in Sikkim.

Faleiro, who is accompanying Mukherjee in his election campaign, told reporters: "(Mukherjee) met most Congress chief ministers, senior party leaders and leaders of the important regional parties."

Pranab visited Nagaland on Saturday and held a meeting with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his colleagues in Dimapur. The working committee of the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) had already endorsed its support for Pranab Mukherjee in its meeting in Kohima on Friday.

Rio said that his party and government are extending its support to the UPA government's candidate for the post of the President. "It is in the right perspective that we support the UPA government's nominated candidate for the post of President of India," he said.

SIKKIM OBSERVER         July 7, 2012

Indian football skipper Sunil Chhetri signs 2-year deal Portuguese club

New Delhi, July 6: Top Portuguese club Sporting Clube de Portugal, also known as Sporting Lisbon, has roped in Indian striker Sunil Chettri, it was confirmed in a press conference on Thursday. Chhetri will play for the club's reserve team.

Accompanied by All India Football Federation President Praful Patel in the media conference, Chhetri said he was very happy to be going to play in a country that is in the Top-10 in the FIFA world rankings.

"This is one opportunity that I would never forget in my life. 165th is the nation that I play football (for) right now... and I'm going to go and play in the country which is fifth and in one of the best clubs in the world....one of the best clubs in the world," said an elated Chhetri.

"One thing that I can promise you guys, the ones who have made it possible for me to go there that I don't know how much can I achieve over there, I know for sure that I have to do a lot of hard work, I know that I'm not there yet but one thing's for sure, I'm not going to lose this opportunity.

"I'll make sure that I don't leave any stone unturned. I'll make sure when I'm 40 I don't say that I could have done anything better. I'll make sure when I'm 40 I can say I gave whatever was possible humanly for me. And I assure you... I will not let anyone down. I'll give my best," said Chhetri who had been a free agent since completing his one-year contract with Mohun Bagan after the end of this season. .  

The India football captain has reportedly signed a two-year deal with the Portuguese club that previously had Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani in its ranks.  

This will be Chhetri's second stint abroad after having been signed by Major League Soccer side Kansas City Wizard, a team he failed to make any league appearance for, in March 2010.

Dalai Lama says “thank you” to India on his 77^th birthday

Dharamsala, July 6: Thousands of Tibetan exiles and foreigners on Friday morning attended the 77th birthday celebrations of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.

Large crowds began to assemble since morning at the Tsuglagkhang temple to join the birthday celebrations.

"Special prayer sessions were held for the long life of His Holiness," Tashi, a Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) spokesperson, told IANS.

The Dalai Lama, revered by the Tibetans as a "living god", attended the prayers held at the hilltop Tsuglagkhang temple, close to his official palace at McLeodganj.

The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who has been residing in Dharamsala for the last few years with his followers, also attended the function.

In a brief address in his Tibetan dialect, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, known for his trademark maroon robes, thanked the government of India and the people for their hospitality to the exiled Tibetans. He thanked the Tibetan for their heartfelt greetings.

The entire cabinet of the CTA and Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay were present at the function.

Born July 6, 1935, at Taktser hamlet in northeastern Tibet, the Dalai Lama was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

He fled Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959, basing his government-in-exile here that never won recognition from any country.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent campaign for democracy and freedom in his homeland. Since fleeing to India, he has spent his time in exile pushing for autonomy for Tibet.

 Youth body calls for unity against ‘injustices’

Gangtok, July 6: The All Sikkim Educated Self Employed and Unemployed Association (ASESE&UA) President Nawin Kiran Pradhan has lambasted the State Government for non-fulfillment of its promises made to the people when it came to power 19 years ago in 1994.

During its state-wide tour, which began here yesterday, Pradhan is likely to call on all like-minded Sikkimese to come together to oppose the alleged injustices of the ruling establishment.

Briefing reporters here before the tour, Pradhan said when Chief Minister Pawan Chamling lit a candle for democracy in the State Assembly on September 9, 1992 he protested against “autocratic rule” and “corruption”  and demanded “freedom of speech and expression” for all citizens in the State.

“But after coming to power” and within a “span of 19 years…all the promises and issues addressed then” have remained “unfulfilled,” Pradhan said in a press statement.

Pradhan said for the first time in Sikkim’s history the Sikkimese people have been deeply “divided”, leading to rampant corruption in the administration. He alleged that law enforcing agencies in the State have also been “exploited.”

Referring to the recent drama during the budget session of the Assembly, Pradhan said dissident SDF leader PS Golay was raising “social issues” of the “common man” in the Assembly and his suspension from the House was most “unfortunate.”

“If the member of the House is not allowed to speak or address the issues of the common man in the House…it is clear that the ‘Democracy’ in State no longer exists,” Pradhan said.

He has urged all, including government employees, to unite and raise their voice against alleged injustices of the present government.

Under pressure, GJM demand quota in GTA for SC, ST

Darjeeling, July 6: Having decided to take part in the ensuing Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) polls the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has demanded reservation of seats in the new hill body for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

 Morcha President Bimal Gurung has asked Chief Minister Mamata Gurung to fulfill this demand. “Our party president has sent a letter to the chief minister requesting her to provide reservations to SC and ST communities in the GTA Sabha,” Morcha General Secretary Roshan Giri said.

This decision comes following request made to Gurung by the All India Scheduled Caste Association recently.

Presently, of the 50-member GTA only five seats are left for SC, ST and other “unrepresented communities”.

While SC community makes up about 9.7 per cent of the hill population the ST stands at 34 per cent. Prominent among STs in Darjeeling are Tamang, Limbu, Sherpa, Dukpa, Tibetan, Bhutia and Lepcha communities.

The two communities have formed SC and ST Joint Action Committee under the presidentship of MS Bomzom to pursue their quota demand. N.B. Kalikotey, the General Secretary of the All India Nepali Scheduled Caste Association, is the Joint Secretary of the new body.

The two communities have stated that reservation in elected bodies was their constitutional right and are planning to take legal recourse on the matter.

Child rights body visits Singtam hospital

Gangtok, July 6: Chairperson of Sikkim Commission for Protection of Child Rights Manita Pradhan, who visited the government hospital in Singtam, East Sikkim, has urged the hospital authorities to ensure that all benefits, schemes and health services provided by the government reaches the people.

Pradhan, accompanied by Commission member Yangchen Ladingpa, visited the hospital on Wednesday and met doctors and staff members of the hospital, an IPR release said.

According to Dr. MB Sharma (gynecologist) the hospital is all set to have an all-time operation theatre for Caesarian delivery.

Pradhan visited female ward, maternity ward pediatric ward and geriatric ward meant for the senior citizen. The Commission was glad to see that a neo-natal intensive care unit for the new-born babies with full medical apparatus which is going to be functional very soon. Pregnant women and the children along with other patients are found to be taken care of well by the doctors and staff of the hospital.

The Commission applauded CMO Dr. Tshering Laden, her colleagues and staff of the hospital for their efforts to provide better health care of women and children.

It may be recalled that the Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling, made a surprise visit to the hospital exactly a year back.

Legal, political battles ahead for Chamling

WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR

Jigme N Kazi

Gangtok, July 6: This is going to be a crucial month for those who are bent on raking up corruption issues against the Chamling government in the court of law.

Though he has denied withdrawing his petition against the State Government in the Supreme Court, Delay Namgyal’s petition is likely to be heard on July 31. Insisting that he has not withdrawn his petition from the apex court, Delay says that the matter will come up before the court on July 31.

His critics say that though Delay has formally applied for withdrawal of his petition from the court, the apex court will hear his plea on July 31 and take a final decision on the withdrawal plea. “So far Delay has neither given a formal statement that he has not withdrawn his petition nor challenged the so-called fake application of withdrawal in the court,” said an observer

After Delay and Pema Dadul Bhutia raised the matter in the apex court in January this year notices were issued to the Centre, CBI and State Government for their reaction.

Delay and Pema had sought the apex court’s help to begin probe against Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and his cabinet colleagues for alleged corrupt practices after Congress leaders reportedly withdrew their corruption cases against Chamling & Co last year.

A public interest litigation filed by Anand Lama, a resident of Gangtok, before the High Court of Sikkim, will also come up for hearing on July 31. In his petition, Lama has alleged financial irregularities in several hydroelectric projects, including the 1200 MW Teesta Stage III project, in North Sikkim.

The Andhra Pradesh MP, Jaganmohan Reddy, the richest MP in the country, is said to have invested huge amount in Teesta State III, the State’s largest and one of the biggest hydel projects in the country. Lama says the next hearing the case is fixed for July 31. Reddy is presently in jail even as the CBI continues probing his alleged ill-gotten wealth.

   It is still not certain but there is a distinct possibility that anti-big dam activists under the banner of ‘Platform for Joint Action Against Hydro Projects in Sikkim’ may file a writ petition before the High Court here on the alleged Rs 20,000 scam in hydel projects in North Sikkim, which was reported in a national newspaper recently.

During the hearing of the 97MW Tashiding hydel project here recently, the High Court gave enough indications that interested parties were free to approach the court on the alleged Teesta hydel project scam in North Sikkim.

Recently, nine social organizations had written to Chief Justice of the High Court of Sikkim Permod Kohli urging him to take suo moto cognizance of alleged irregularities and corruption in the implementation of various hydel projects in the State.

Petitioners of the Tashiding hydel project case, which was transferred to the High Court from the Supreme Court, wanted the court to take up the Teesta project case as well but the court rejected this plea stating that issues raised in the two cases were different and should be taken up separately. Incidentally, the next hearing of the Tashiding hydel project case is fixed for July 24.

Apart from legal aspects of these cases, issues raised in the petitions have tremendous political ramifications. The Chamling government will find it increasingly difficult to fight controversial legal battles at a time when the political situation, after rebel ruling Sikkim Demoratic Front leader and legislator PS Golay came out openly against Chief Minster Pawan Chamling during the budget session of the Assembly recently, remains  fluid and unpredictable.

After his successful political debut in the Assembly recently Golay and his supporters are ecstatic and are likely to become more active in the coming months.

Editorial

TIMELY MANIPULATION

Is The CBI Really Independent?

Have you ever wondered why a Mulayam or a Mayawati is ready to extend the olive branch to UPA from time to time? Or why Karunanidhi, despite going through utter humiliation, ends up standing behind the UPA? Or how the UPA manages everyone so smoothly, except Mamata Banerjee? Well, the answer is in the central government’s massive manipulative control over the CBI, which can in turn then be used to blackmail anyone with any kind of shady dealing and existing CBI investigation; and given that most of our political leaders are corrupt, they can all be easily manipulated, minus rare exceptions like Mamata.

 Let’s look into some cases. Let’s start with UPA’s biggest problem, YSRC President Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy. He accused the Congress of using the CBI as a tool to harass its political opponents. Sakshi TV channel owned by Y. S. Bharati, wife of Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, aired an hour-long program defaming Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Following that, the CBI accused Jaganmohan Reddy of having disproportionate assets and targeted him under multiple sections. All government advertisements and notifications that Sakshi TV and newspaper used to get were stopped.

Similar was the case with UP’s ex CM, Mayawati. After getting a clean chit in the Taj Heritage Corridor case in 2007, Mayawati accused the UPA government of using the CBI to drag her unnecessarily in the disproportionate asset case as a revenge for her act of withdrawing support to UPA. All charges, however, were suddenly dropped and all cases against Mayawati buried, after she lost the UP polls. CBI said that it made a “grave error” while calculating assets of Mayawati. In return, the erstwhile harassed Mayawati supported UPA in Uttarakhand and also backed UPA’s presidential nominee.

Sikkim varsity is ‘institutional member’ of Press Club of Sikkim

Gangtok, July 6: President of Press Club Bhim Rawat said members of the Club are happy that SU had accepted its proposal to become an institutional member of the Club.

As such, Sikkim University has been declared as “institutional member” of the Press Club of Sikkim.

At a function here at the university complex on Tuesday, Rawat urged other corporate houses in the State to take membership of the Press Club.

Outgoing SU Vice-Chancellor Mahendra P. Lama handed over Rs one lakh and fifteen thousand to Rawat for membership fees and one year’s subscription respectively of the Club.

Lama said he was thankful to the media for making contributions to the growth of the university since its inception. According to unconfirmed reports, Lama has got an extension of three months. He was due to retire this month.

Flame of Truth” global relay to begin on Dalai Lama’s 77^th birthday

Dharamsala, July 6: “The Flame of Truth”, a global torch relay, will begin on 6 July, the 77th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from Leh, Ladakh, (Northern India) and travel across hundreds of cities around the world. It will go on till December 10, World Human Rights Day, with the submission of appeal letters and thousands of signatures simultaneously to the UN Headquarters in New York City, UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and UN information office in New Delhi.

The Tibetan parliament on Wednesday issued a release stating that the Relay will be carried out in "solidarity with the courageous and selfless acts of our brave brothers and sisters inside Tibet and to make the world aware of their selfless acts and aspirations."

The central aim of the Relay and signature campaign is to urge the UN to discuss the Tibetan Human Rights issue based on earlier resolutions, send a fact-finding mission to investigate the ongoing situation in Tibet, and lastly the for the UN to take special responsibility to ensure that the basic aspirations of the Tibetan community living within Tibet are fulfilled.

The release also stated that since China's invasion of Tibet, Beijing has never changed its hard-line policies on Tibet. This has resulted in China exploiting not only Tibet's rich natural resources but, gruesome killing, torture, imprisonment and harassment of the Tibetan people continuously. As a result of the constant torment, "Tibet today, is like hell on earth."

July 4 ‘blackest day’ for Press freedom in Sikkim: youth body

Gangtok, July 6: The All Sikkim Educated Self Employed & Unemployed Association regards July 4, 2008 as the ‘blackest day’ for Press freedom in the State.

Association President Nawin Kiran Pradhan said on this day “bhattus and goondas” made a “preplanned attack” on members of the local media, Pradhan in a press release.

He said the culprits are “still roaming freely.” He criticized the Sikkim Police for failing to nab the culprits.

Pradhan said “even today vocal newspapers and journalist are politically banned and threatened by the ruling front in many parts of Sikkim.”

It may be recalled that a group of masked men in black leather jackets and armed with hammers and iron rods entered the office of “Hamro Prajashakti” around 8:30 pm in the evening of July 4, 2008 and attacked the journalists present in its office in Gairi Gaon, Tadong.

Seven journalists associated with the Nepali daily, Hamro Prajashakti and Himalayan Mirror, an English daily, were seriously injured in the attack.

HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN         July 4, 2012

Indian envoy to China on Tibet tour

China to improve facilities for Indian pilgrims

Lhasa, July 3: The Indian envoy to China, S Jaishankar, is currently on a rare visit to Tibet, touring Mount Kailash and Manasarovar, two holy sites frequently visited by Indian pilgrims.

Jaishankar's visit to Tibet, the first by an Indian envoy in 10 years, comes at a time when more than 40 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet demanding freedom in Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile in India.

Shivshankar Menon, the then Indian Ambassador and present National Security Advisor, had visited Tibet in 2002. Jaishankar is scheduled to trace back the Indian pilgrimage route from Mount Kailash to the Nepal border, PTI reported.

Chinese authorities have already announced plans to step up investments in the region to improve facilities for Indian pilgrims. Earlier in June, hundreds of Indian pilgrims were stranded in Nepal on their way to Kailash-Mansarovar after Chinese authorities stopped them at the border saying that their vehicles did not have route permit.

Nepalese officials had confirmed that around 700-800 Indian pilgrims, all of whom had proper visa, were left stranded at the Tibetan border.

Although the Chinese authorities had cited vehicular permit for stopping the pilgrims, business people dealing with the Indian tourists noted that the restriction was enforced as a precautionary measure against the “possible infiltration by pro-Dalai Lama Tibetan activists. According to reports, the Indian envoy, besides visiting the pilgrim centres would also be visiting other Tibetan areas.

Jaishankar’s visit to Tibet comes on the heels of New Delhi’s request to re-open its consulate in Tibet’s ancient capital city Lhasa, fifty years after it was shut following the 1962 border war between India and China.

Beijing invited Jaishankar to have first hand look at the Himalayan region, specially sacred places like Manasarovar where it plans to step up investments to improve facilities for Indian pilgrims.

Pranab's resignation letter from ISI "fabricated": BJP

BJP may resort to legal steps against Pranab

New Delhi, Jul 3: BJP termed as "fabricated" the resignation letter of UPA Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee from the Indian Statistical Institute and said it had all options open before it, including legal, and would decide on the matter soon.

BJP also alleged the resignation letter of Mukherjee has been prepared only to save his nomination for the Presidential election and asked both Mukherjee and eminent scientist MGK Menon, who is the President of the Institute, to come clean on the issue.

"BJP alleges that it is a 100 per cent fabricated document....It's very unfortunate that persons contesting such offices as President of India are indulging in illegal activities. We are demanding justice from the Election Commission... We are waiting for a certified copy of the Returning Officer's order. It is open for all types of further action," BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar told reporters, according to PTI

BJP leader and P A Sangma's counsel Satya Pal Jain said the signatures of Mukherjee on the reply to the objections raised by it and that on his resignation letter do not tally and their objections to his (Mukherjee's) candidature. "There are apprehensions on the genuineness of this document. This seems to have been manufactured after we raised objections to his nomination," said Jain.

On what action the party was contemplating on the matter after their objections were rejected by the Returning Officer for the President's election, the BJP leader said the party was exploring various options, including legal. "The battle has just begun. We will fight it out. It is a battle for justice. Very clearly, we are telling, all (our) options are open," said Ananth Kumar.

Jain said "we will take the next step after discussing within the party. The next step will be taken after discussing all legal aspects."

SU becomes member of Press Club

Gangtok, July 3: Sikkim University has been declared as “institutional member” of the Press Club of Sikkim.

President of Press Club Bhim Rawat said members of the Club are happy that SU had accepted its proposal to become an institutional member of the Club.

At a function here today, Rawat urged other corporate houses in the State to take membership of the Press Club.

Outgoing SU Vice-Chancellor Mahendra P. Lama handed over Rs one lakh and fifteen thousand to Rawat for membership fees and one year’s subscription of the Club.

Lama said he was thankful to the media for making contributions to the growth of the university since its inception.

Split in Nepal Maoist party will revive relations with Indian Maoists

New Delhi, July 3: The split in Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (UCPN-M) is likely to impact the Maoist movement in India.

The breakaway group headed by Mohan Baidya Kiran has already renewed ties with Indian Maoists, sources said.

Intelligence agencies are of the view that the split in Nepal will inject new energy to the Communist Party of India-(Maoist) and revive regular contact between the Maoists in India and Nepal. The relations between the CPI (Maoist) and the party in Nepal had dwindled since 2006, when Maoists formed the government in Kathmandu.

Baidya's new party Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) is likely to revive and reshape the Maoist movement in both countries. Before the final split at the Sherpa Sewa Samaj Building in Kathmandu between June 16 and 18, the last meeting of the rebel group was held in Delhi at a Karol Bagh hotel in the second week of April, a national daily reported.

One of the issues that came up for discussion at the Karol Bagh meeting was whether rebellion would be possible without armed cadres, as the Maoist army had surrendered in Nepal when the party joined the government.

But leaders of the breakaway group assured that about "3,000 armed cadres" had not surrendered in the last six years and some arms and ammunition had been kept hidden, even as most of the weapons were surrendered to the government.

Replying to a question recently on whether he will coordinate with regional Maoist parties, Baidya said, "The Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organizations of South Asia (COMPOSA) is an umbrella organization to struggle in the interest of patriotic, Leftist and all other pro-people elements in the South Asian region. It has been weakened for some time now. We will find ways to strengthen it again and carry on with it."

Wangdue Phodrang Dzong was built by Bhutan’s first ruler

S. Deki

Wangdue Phodrang Dzong is 21km from Punakha in Central Bhutan. Bhutan’s first ruler  Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal met a young boy named Wangdi playing in the sand by the Punak Chhu and named the new dzong Wangdi Phodrang (Wangdi's Palace) which was later changed to Wangdue.

The dzong is a dramatic example of Bhutanese architecture. The structure follows the contours of a ridge high over the river. The cacti on the slope were planted to prevent invaders from climbing to the dzong. The dzong was founded in 1638 by the Shabdrung and was Bhutan's second capital until Trongsa was founded in1644.

The Penlpop of Wangdue Phodrang was the third most powerful ruler in the country. The dzong controlled the routes to Trongsa, Punakha, Dagana, and Thimpu. The sole entrance to the dzong is flanked by large prayer wheels. The Guru Tshengy Thondrol, depicting Guru Rimpoche is unfurled on the final day of the autumn tsechu festival. In the main prayer hall there are statues of Sakyamuni, Guru Rimpoche, and the Shabdrung. The dzong was repaired after a fire in 1837 and an earthquake in 1897.

The dzong was burnt down by a fire in the afternoon of  June 24, 2012. However, as the dzong was being renovated at the time of the fire, most of the historic relics had been put into storage and so were saved from destruction, sources said.

China to develop Tibetan areas close to Arunachal

Beijing, July 3:  China will develop Tibet's picturesque Nyingchi prefecture, located close to Arunachal Pradesh border, into a major tourist hub with an investment of USD 63.5 million which included construction of 22 "well-off model villages".

More than CNY 400 million (USD 63.5 million) has been earmarked to develop tourism in "South eastern Tibet", by China's southern Guangdong provincial government as partner assistance, official media here reported, according to PTI.

China refers Arunachal Pradesh as "Southern Tibet" which formed part of border dispute negotiations being held between Beijing and New Delhi.

"Nyingchi prefecture in southeastern Tibet, with abundant virgin forests, snow mountains, rivers and pastures, has potential golden tourism resources," state-run news agency Xinhua quoted an official in Tibet as saying.

An international tourism town is planned for Nyingchi county in the prefecture, which is expected to attract investment of more than CNY two billion from government and enterprises, the official said.

Besides the tourism town project, 22 well-off model villages, each with an investment of CNY 4.5 million, will be built in three years to help local residents to provide family hotel services and increase their incomes, the official said.

Nyingchi is located in southeastern Tibet, with an average altitude of 3,000 meters, where inhabited by Tibetans, Monba, Lhoba and other ethnic groups with unique folk customs and many rare cultural landscape.

 Azad J&K govt to host meet, prepare for polls

Meet to devise strategy for Kashmir freedom movement

Mirpur, July 3: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government will soon host all parties intra-Kashmir conference of political leadership from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), AJK and Indian-held Kashmir, to encourage and materialise sincere efforts for early peaceful settlement of Kashmir dispute.

AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed announced this while addressing a news conference at the PWD Rest House on Sunday, Pakistan News Service reported.

The AJK PM also announced that local bodies elections in AJK will be held in the near future.

To this direction, he said that the AJK Election Commission has been asked to make fresh voters' lists besides undertaking and completing the required demarcation of the civic constituencies.

He continued that the objective of intra-Kashmir meet was to devise collective strategy for making the Kashmir freedom movement complete success through exchanging ideas to this direction.

"It is also aimed at to ensure the effective role of AJK, the base camp of the Kashmir freedom struggle, to its said basic objective," he declared.

Majeed said that all the political parties of Pakistan and AJK would be consulted to establish consensus for holding of the proposed intra-Kashmir conference.

REWALSAR LAKE

A Buddhist pilgrimage centre in Himachal Pradesh

 Kunga Chukie

According to tradition, Lord Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) was incarnated as an eight-year-old child appearing in a lotus blossom floating in Lake Dhanakosha, in the kingdom of Oḍḍiyāna in ancient India and in modern times identified with the Swat Valley of South Asia present-day Pakistan. His special nature was recognized by the childless local king of Oḍḍiyāna and was chosen to take over the kingdom but he left Oḍḍiyāna for northern parts of India.

In Rewalsar (Himachal Pradesh), known as Tso Pema in Tibetan, Padmasambgava secretly taught tantric teachings to Mandarava who was the local king's daughter. When the king discovered this he tried to burn him but it is believed when the smoke cleared he was intact and in meditation. The king then offered Padmasambhava his kingdom and Mandarava. Padmasambhava left with Mandarava and later in Maratika cave in Nepal, after practising secret tantric rituals, Amitayus appeared and they both achieved immortal bodies in the form of the living rainbow body.

Since then, Rewalsar Lake has become a religious place for Buddhists. The Hindus too hold this lake sacred based on their own beliefs. Buddhist devotees from Tibet, Ladakh, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh regularly visit Tso Pema throughout the year.

Rewalsar Lake is located at an elevation of 1360 m in the district of Mandi. It is 24 kms from the town of Mandi.

Editorial

DISTINCT IDENTITY

Centre’s Stand on Assembly Seat Issue

 The Centre’s stand on the seat reservation issue in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly is constitutional and just. The Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, himself a lawyer and once Sikkim in-charge of the Congress party, has said that 12 seats reserved for the indigenous Bhutias and Lepchas in the Assembly is based on the historic May 8, 1973 agreement. Khurshid’s  views on the seat issue is also based on the Supreme Court’s observations in the writ petition filed by Ram Chandra Poudyal, a Nepali politician who was against reservation of 12 seats for the Bhutia-Lepchas and one seat for the Sangha. Former Sikkim Lok Sabha MP Nandu Thapa has rightly applauded Khurshid for making the Centre’s position on Sikkim’s special status clear in the Parliament. Thapa was one of the prominent figures of the NB Bhandari-led Sikkim Parishad party in the 1970s which not only opposed the ‘merger’ but came to power after defeating pro-merger LD Kazi’s Sikkim Janata Congress in the first Assembly elections (in 1979) held after the ‘merger’.

     Khurshid has also rightly stated in the Lok Sabha on May 3, 2012 that any increase or decrease in Assembly seats in Sikkim would come after consulting all stakeholders on the issue. There ought to be a healthy debate and discussion in the Assembly and Parliament on the vexed issue of seat reservation in the Assembly. It is pertinent to note that while the Limbus and Tamangs, who were earlier placed in the OBC category, have demanded seat reservation in the Assembly on the basis of them being declared STs in the State, the demand for reservation of Assembly seats for ‘Sikkimese Nepalese’ has been given a quiet burial. After the unsuccessful bid to raise the seat reservation issue of Sikkimese Nepalese in the Assembly by Organisation of Sikkimese Unity (OSU) in 2000 no one has taken the matter seriously. The minority Bhutia-Lepcha leadership is unlikely to raise the Assembly seat issue of Sikkimese Nepalese as it is convinced that the political leadership of the majority community is not clear on the issue. We have ourselves to blame for dilution of our distinct identity; not the Centre.

Mamata happy with GJM’s decision to contest GTA polls

“Darjeeling is now smiling…peace, prosperity will bring new era”

C. Tamang

Darjeeling, July 3: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has welcomed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s decision to contest elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

"Today is a very happy day for all of us, as my brothers and sisters of Darjeeling have decided to participate in the democratic process of elections next month," Banerjee said in her latest post on Facebook. "Truly Darjeeling is now smiling. Peace, development and Prosperity will bring new era in Darjeeling. On this happy occasion I congratulate all my brothers and sisters of Darjeeling," she said.

The GJM, which is unhappy that its demand for inclusion of Gorkha-dominated areas in the plains it wants added to the jurisdiction of the GTA has not been met, however, decided to take part in the elections on July 29 to the 45 seats in the hill council.

The party will contest the elections on its own. Altogether nine parties, including the Congress and Trinamool Congress, have so far decided to contest the polls. GJM president Bimal Gurung has not yet decided on whether to contest the GTA polls.

The Shyamal Sen committee has recommended inclusion of five mouzas or an area less than a sub-division in the plains for inclusion in the GTA's jurisdiction. The GJM had demanded inclusion of 396 mouzas.

Gurung together with a GJM delegation had chief minister at the state secretariat in Kolkata on June 28 after a meeting with Union Home minister P Chidamabaram in Delhi on the issue.

After backing Golay, Bhandari calls for opposition unity

Gangtok, July 3: Former Chief Minister and SPCC President Nar Bahadur Bhandari has back dissident ruling Sikkim Democratic Front leader PS Golay’s bid to take on Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and expose alleged rampant corruption in the administration.

Bhandari, a three-time former chief minister of the State, has not only backed Golay but said the Assembly Speaker KT Gyaltsen’s decision to suspend Golay from the Assembly was a “conspiracy and pre-planned.” He said the decision was aimed at curbing the rebel leader’s efforts to expose Chamling in the House.

Significantly, Bhandari, who is likely to play a greater role in formation of a region party in the State, has reiterated his call for opposition unity. He said he has met a number of opposition leaders and others on formation of a united front against Chamling.

Meanwhile, Bhandari’s loaded pistol kept in his house at Church Road, has gone missing.

He has lodged a complaint to the local police.

"I had gone out of station for two days on personal work and when I returned on Sunday night I could not find my pistol," Bhandari said.

Sikkim’s merger was ‘conditional’ and based on May 8^th pact: Ex-MP Nandu Thapa

“Centre has acknowledged Sikkim’s distinct character”

  Gangtok, July 3: Former Sikkim Lok Sabha MP, Nandu Thapa, said Sikkim’s merger with India was ‘conditional’ and the historic Tripartite Agreement of May 8, 1973 paved way for the former kingdom’s absorption into the Indian Union.

Thapa has also pointed out that unlike the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, the former Chogyal (king) of Sikkim did not sign away his kingdom to its protecting power.

In a letter to the Union Law Minister, Salman Khurshid, recently, Thapa expressed his appreciation in the manner that the Union Minister has acknowledged the “correct constitutional position/status” and the “distinctive characteristic” of the State of Sikkim.

Thapa was referring to Khurshid’s statement in the Parliament on the 12 reserved seats of the Bhutia-Lepchas in the Sikkim Assembly.

In response to BJP MP BalKrishna K Shukla’s query on reservation of scheduled tribes seats in the Assembly, Khurshid had stated in the Lok Sabha on May 3, 2012: “…12 seats reserved in the Assembly for Bhutia-Lepcha is not as Scheduled Tribe but as sequel to political agreement in the year 1973 between Government of India, the ex-Chogyal of Sikkim and the political parties of Sikkim.”

Referring to possible Assembly seat reservation for Limboos and Tamangs, who have been given ST status in the State, Khurshid said, “Any possible reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, proportionate increase in Limboo, Tamang, Bhutia-Lepcha etc. will depend on data of population of Scheduled Tribes in Sikkim on the basis of 2011 Census…”

“Any increase / decrease in the present status could be considered only after wider debate from all the stake holders in the State of Sikkim,” Khurshid said.

Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid’s statement on reservation of Bhutia-Lepcha seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly in the Lok Sabha on May 3, 2012.

“12 seats in the Assembly are reserved for Bhutia-Lepchas, not for scheduled tribes”

               “As may be seen from the above composition, 12 seats are reserved for Bhutia – Lepcha not as Scheduled Tribe but as sequel to political agreement in the year 1973 between Government of India, ex-Chogyal of Sikkim and Political Parties of Sikkim. Apart from Bhutias and Lepchas, Limboo and Tamang were recognized as Scheduled Tribes vide the Constitution (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes) order (Amendment) Act, 2002 (32 of 2002).

b); Any possible reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, proportionate increase in Limboo, Tamang, Bhutia-Lepcha etc. will depend on data of population of Scheduled Tribes in Sikkim on the basis of 2011 Census, not only in terms of their number, but also dispersal patterns constituency-wise, based on such data, Sikkim Legislative Assembly may also need to pass a fresh resolution indicating number of seats that could be reserved for scheduled Tribes Communities, Bhutia – Lepchas communities, Limboo, Tamang communities etc. It is learnt form Office of the Registrar General of India that even though population enumeration exercise has been completed, it would require more then a year to get the individual Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes figures to be finalized and published. Hence, a decision regarding reservation of seats for scheduled tribes, Limboo-Tamang, Bhutia- Lepchas etc. will depend on individual population details of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes figures based on 2011 census which is still awaited. Any increase / decrease in the present status could be considered only after wider debate from all the Stake holders in the State of Sikkim.”

Sangma plays tribal card to garner support from northeast

P. Ghosh

Guwahati, July 3: Playing the tribal card, former Lok Sabha speaker and NDA presidential candidate PA Sangma on Saturday appealed to politicians in the mostly Congress-ruled northeastern states – a large share of who are tribals – to support his candidature "without any doubt or fear".

 "I belong to the northeast and I am a tribal candidate from the northeast. The presidential election is above party politics and no party can officially enforce any whip. So, I appeal to all the members of electoral colleges in all the states to vote for me without any doubt or fear," Sangma said while addressing a press conference at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) airport near Guwahati.

He said he would begin his campaign for the presidential polls from Tura on Sunday. Sangma, who arrived from New Delhi on Saturday, left for Tura straight from the airport after the press conference.

Sangma was also given a red carpet welcome by several organizations and people from Meghalaya and other states of the region at the airport.

He slammed media reports about apprehensions and calculations of votes over the presidential elections and said, "It's very unconstitutional to count the party-wise vote values regarding the presidential election. The election for the president's post is above party politics and that is why there is no party symbol used. The election is also conducted very confidentially through secret ballots."

The veteran politician, however, expressed his confidence about winning the presidential elections.

"I have contested parliamentary elections nine times and legislative assembly elections twice and I won all of them. I never lost elections in my life and I am going to win this presidential election too," he said.

"I am very happy to tell you that I have received lots of support from the northeastern states. I thank the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) of Assam, United Democratic Party (UDP), Hill State Peoples' Democratic Party of Meghalaya, Mizo National Front (MNF) of Mizoram and many more parties who have decided to support me," he said.

Sangma said he banked on "vote by conscience" for his race to the top constitutional post of the country.

SIKKIM OBSERVER  June 30, 2012

Defiant Golay takes on Chamling, raises ‘black flag’ in Assembly

Protests suppression of democratic rights

Gangtok, June 29: Defiance has led to confrontation. And rebel leader PS Golay seems set to take on Chief Minister and SDF President Pawan Chamling.

The four-day budget session of the Assembly became a virtual battle field for the two men who hitherto have been engaged in shadow boxing.  For Golay it was a dramatic moment to start his race for the top job. For the first time since he took over as Chief Minister in 1994 Chamling faces a revolt within his party that has the potential to rock his boat.

The open confrontation was visible on the first day (Monday) of the Assembly session when Golay defiantly stayed put on his seat and refused to acknowledge Chamling’s presence while other members of the House got up when the Leader of the House re-entered the Assembly after seeing off the Governor, BP Singh.

The second day’s point-by-point attack on the budget, presented by Chamling, led to personal confrontation between the two on the third day of the session.

Golay raised a black ‘flag’ – a symbol of protest – in the Assembly on the fourth and final day of the session when he was forcefully taken out from the House by the marshals on Speaker KT Gyaltsen’s instructions for creating nuisance and disturbances.

The rebel leader attacked Chamling where it hurt him most – corruption, mismanagement and democracy. Golay claimed that he was removed from the House as he had documentary evidence to prove Chamling’s misdeeds.

He said the Speaker’s refusal to allow him to speak was proof enough that there was no freedom of speech and democracy in Sikkim.

The four-day’s high-pitched drama in the Assembly, which spilled into the streets of the capital, has given the rebel leader enough issues and ammunition to lead an anti-Chamling campaign in the State in the coming days and months to come.

THE SPEAKER’S DILEMMA

Gangtok, June 29: Many observers of this week’s drama in the Assembly hailed Speaker KT Gyaltsen for allowing dissident ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) leader PS Golay (Tamang) to speak on the second and third day of the budget session.

However, when the Speaker asked Golay to leave the House for creating nuisance and disturbances on the final day many vehemently criticized the Speaker’s decision to gag free speech in the Assembly.

The local press, too, strongly criticized the Speaker’s decision  not to allow them to re-enter the House after Golay’s removal. It also slammed the Speaker for speaking against press coverage of the Assembly in the House.

Reacting to this, three-time chief minister and State Congress President NB Bhandari alleged that there was a ‘conspiracy’ to evict Golay from the House as he was openly taking on Chamling and exposing him and his party’s anti-Sikkimese activities.

Ironically, by first allowing him to speak freely in the Assembly and then finally marshalling him out the dissident legislator suddenly and dramatically emerged as the only opposition leader who seemed ready and eager to take on Chamling head-on and thus satisfy a vast majority of the people who have been patiently waiting for someone to take a bold stand against Chamling, who till this week seemed most invincible.

PRESS IN PROTEST MODE

Gangtok, June 29: Local journalists were up in arms on Thursday when they were refused re-entry into the Assembly after they left the House to get PS Golay’s reaction after the rebel leader was literally thrown out of the House for allegedly creating disturbances during Assembly proceedings.

The Press was also angered by the manner in which the Speaker, KT Gyaltsen, Leader of the House Pawan Chamling and other legislators lambasted members of the Fourth Estate for their alleged incorrect and ‘misleading’ reporting of the Assembly proceedings, which apparently went in Golay’s favour.

More than three dozen journalists hurriedly met here on Thursday and condemned these developments and registered their protest. They alleged that their right to report was being suppressed.

“Breach of security” was the reason given for disallowing the local media’s re-entry into the Assembly.

The legislators want appropriate action taken against newspapers which had not given a correct coverage of Assembly proceedings.

Bhandari backs Golay, calls for opposition unity

Gangtok, June 29: Former Chief Minister and State Congress President Nar Bahadur Bhandari has reiterated his call for opposition unity to take on Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.

When his former colleague and former Lok Sabha MP Pahalman Subba asked him what his next political move is in the light of PS Golay’s open challenge to Pawan Chamling, Bhandari reminded him that he had recently given a call for all opposition leaders to come together on a single platform to face the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front, which is enjoying its fourth consecutive term.

Reacting to the Assembly drama, Bhandari not only termed “unfortunate” PS Golay’s unceremonious exit from the Assembly on the last day of the budget session but alleged that there was a “conspiracy” to ensure that he was not heard in the Assembly. The whole episode was “pre-planned”, he said.

Referring to his call for opposition unity, Bhandari said he was in touch with like-minded opposition leaders and others on the issue and was hopeful of a positive response from the people to his proposal.

Even veteran politician RC Poudyal recently said his support to Golay was “conditional”. The former minister said, “I will support him if he proves that he is capable of leading a united front to dislodge Chamling.”

Asked to comment on the Assembly episode, Subba, once one of Chamling’s key advisors, said this week’s developments in the Assembly are an indication that things are falling apart for the SDF chief.

Thrice betrayed, Sikkimese have no high hopes on next chief minister

WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR

Jigme N Kazi

When asked whether former minister and dissident ruling Sikkim Democratic Front leader PS Golay would bring the much-needed change in Sikkim, once a staunch supporter of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front said, “We are not concerned with what happens next. He (Chamling) has let us down; we just want to throw him out.”

Such reactions are a reflection of the anger and disappointment of many Sikkimese over what has happened to Sikkim in the past four decades. Arguably, most bonafide Sikkimese have a very grim view of Sikkim’s future. “The Sikkimese have been divided over casteist and communal lines and Sikkim has been thoroughly destroyed with the implementation of numerous hydel projects,” said a former chief engineer. “There is no future for Sikkim’s future generations,” he added.

Lhendup Dorji Kazi, Sikkim’s first chief minister’s promises of ushering in ‘democracy’ and ‘janta raj’ in the early 1970s seems hollow given the fact that after him two men – NB Bhandari and Pawan Kumar Chamling –  ruled the former kingdom for nearly three and half decades (1979-2012) at a stretch.

For many Sikkimese, including the majority Sikkimese Nepalese, Kazi’s definition of ‘democracy’ meant greater political power and economic rights for Sikkimese Nepalese but within Sikkim and not as part of India.
Bhandari’s Sikkim (Janta) Parishad was formed to redress the grievances of a people betrayed by its own (Kazi) government (1974-1979). The Parishad promised ‘de-merger’. “Desh Farkaow” (return Sikkim) was its political slogan.

However, as soon as it came to power on Oct 18, 1979 the Parishad government openly declared that ‘merger was a fait-accompli’. The demand on political rights of the Sikkimese Nepalese through restoration of Assembly seat reservation, which was lost in 1979, raised when Bhandari returned to power in March 1985, was gradually buried when Bhandari projected himself as the undisputed leader of the one crore Indian Nepalese.

Bhandari’s dictatorial tendencies and rampant corruption in the administration paved way for his own downfall in May 1994 when dissident legislators of his ruling Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP – merged to Congress in 2003) toppled his government.

Waiting in the wings for an opportune moment was dissident SSP leader Pawan Chamling, who in early 1993 formed his own political outfit (Sikkim Democratic Front), took on Bhandari, and came to power in December 1994. With the OBCs and tribals as his political base, Chamling’s main issues against Bhandari were restoration of freedom and democracy and eradication of corruption in high places. Ironically, Chamling’s critics and political rivals are raising the same issues against him and people are believing them.

Corruption has reached its peak, one-man-rule has not changed much and local Sikkimese’ future survival in the land of their origin have been threatened as never before.

Having fought and lost the battle for distinct identity of Sikkim and Sikkimese within India, I, a few years back during a seminar in Gangtok, said, “I have (painfully and gracefully) accepted the death of my dreams.” I still stand by this statement and I’m sure many Sikkimese feel the same way.

Having been betrayed three times in the past four decades the Sikkimese people are now thoroughly disillusioned with their political leadership. They now do not trust, rely or hope on anyone. They have no more illusions and, therefore, cannot be disillusioned.

As such, the job of the next chief minister – even if it is Chamling – is that much easier.

Editorial

TRIBAL UNITY

A Movement Has Begun

Former Speaker PA Sangma has rightly claimed that his very participation in the presidential polls is a victory for ‘tribal unity’. In India’s caste/class conscious society the forward caste – read as Brahmins – though in the minority has always taken high positions in almost every field for a long, long time. This time, however, the tribals, the subcontinent’s indigenous people, have come together and supported Sangma for the top post. It is the ‘Tribal Forum of India’ which has sponsored Sangma’s candidature. The very act of participating in the democratic process is a step in the right direction and will surely create a general awareness of the plight and prospects of the tribals and other backward communities throughout the country.

It was the Indian National Congress that gave birth and growth to Sangma’s political career. He is now no more in the Congress party but still remains a staunch nationalist, a rare phenomenon among tribal leaders in India’s much-neglected Northeast region. Sangma is justifiably hurt that though the tribals had always remained loyal to the Congress party it did not come out in support of the cause of the tribals in the presidential polls. “They (Congress leaders) will know the effect of this action,” Sangma rightly threatened.

With the BJP supporting Sangma’s candidature the party is likely to substantially improve its support base in the Northeast, including Sikkim. If Mamata Banerjee’s TMC gives Sangma the much-needed support East and Northeast India could become a solid bastion for a BJP-‘third front’ coalition government after the next general elections due in early 2014. Already, Chief Minister Navin Patnaik’s Biju Janta Dal (BJD) and Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s AIDMK are on Sangma’s side and the tribal leader is now wooing Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress party, which is taking on the Congress party and with greater degree of success in Andhra Pradesh.

The Arunachal Pradesh’s BJP has already given a call to all Northeast tribal MLAs and MPs to back Sangma. The former Speaker has already appealed to all for a ‘conscience vote.’ It should evoke the right response from tribal leaders and their elected representatives in the Parliament and State legislative assemblies. The call for ‘tribal unity’ is, therefore, loud and clear. Golay and other tribal legislators in Sikkim Assembly,  are you listening?

Sikkim’s merger with India was ‘conditional’: Ex-MP Nandu Thapa

“Chogyal did not sign away his kingdom”

  Gangtok, June 29: Former Sikkim Lok Sabha MP, Nandu Thapa, said Sikkim’s merger with India was ‘conditional’ and the historic Tripartite Agreement of May 8, 1973 paved way for the former kingdom’s absorption into the Indian Union.

Thapa has also pointed out that unlike the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, the former Chogyal (king) of Sikkim did not sign away his kingdom to its protecting power.

In a letter to the Union Law Minister, Salman Khurshid, recently, Thapa expressed his appreciation in the manner that the Union Minister has acknowledged the “correct constitutional position/status” and the “distinctive characteristic” of the State of Sikkim.

Thapa was referring to Khurshid’s statement in the Parliament on the 12 reserved seats of the Bhutia-Lepchas in the Sikkim Assembly.

In response to BJP MP BalKrishna k Shukla’s query on reservation of scheduled tribes seats in the Assembly, Khurshid had stated in the Lok Sabha on May 3, 2012: “…12 seats reserved in the Assembly for Bhutia-Lepcha is not as Scheduled Tribe but as sequel to political agreement in the year 1973 between Government of India, the ex-Chogyal of Sikkim and the political parties of Sikkim.”

The former MP pointed out that the State’s ethnic communities – Lepchas, Bhutias and Sikkimese Nepalese – were ‘subjects’ of the Chogyal and their distinct identity and “rights and interests’ were safeguarded under Article 371F of the Constitution, which was inserted into the Constitution during the merger in 1975.

“The Historic Tripartite Agreement of 8^th May 1973 in this regard cannot be overemphasized nor undermined at all as it being the conditionality of the merger,” Thapa said in the letter and added, “In other words the merger of Sikkim is conditional.”

“Unlike Jammu & Kashmir there was no instrument of accession signed by the ruler, the Chogyal. It is a historical fact,” Thapa said in the letter and added, “I write this to appreciate your upright and honest statement based on the historical perspective and facts.”

                            DOCUMENT

                                LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4590

TO BE ANSWERED ON THURSDAY, THE 3^RD MAY, 2012

Reservation of Seats for ST in Assembly in Sikkim

4590. SHRI BALKRISHNA K. SHUKLA:

Will the minister of law and justice be pleased to state:

a)      whether the Government is aware that Sikkim legislative Assembly does

      not have a single seat reserve for Scheduled Tribes: and

b)      if so, the action taken by the Government to preserve and protect the

      Scheduled Tribes in Sikkim Legislative Assembly?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE (SHRI SALMAN KHURSID)

a): The present composition of the seats in Sikkim legislative assembly is as

    under:-

(i) General-17

(ii) Bhutia –Lepcha -12

(iii) Scheduled Caste -2

(iv) Sangha -1

As may be seen from the above composition, 12 seats are reserved for Bhutia – Lepcha not as Scheduled Tribe but as sequel to political agreement in the year 1973 between Government of India, ex-Chogyal of Sikkim and Political Parties of Sikkim. Apart from Bhutias and Lepchas, Limboo and Tamang were recognized as Scheduled Tribes vide the Constitution (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes) order (Amendment) Act, 2002 (32 of 2002).

b); Any possible reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, proportionate increase in Limboo, Tamang, Bhutia-Lepcha etc. will depend on data of population of Scheduled Tribes in Sikkim on the basis of 2011 Census, not only in terms of their number, but also dispersal patterns constituency-wise, based on such data, Sikkim Legislative Assembly may also need to pass a fresh resolution indicating number of seats that could be reserved for scheduled Tribes Communities, Bhutia – Lepchas communities, Limboo, Tamang communities etc. It is learnt form Office of the Registrar General of India that even though population enumeration exercise has been completed, it would require more then a year to get the individual Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes figures to be finalized and published. Hence, a decision regarding reservation of seats for scheduled tribes, Limboo-Tamang, Bhutia- Lepchas etc. will depend on individual population details of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes figures based on 2011 census which is still awaited. Any increase / decrease in the present status could be considered only after wider debate from all the Stake holders in the State of Sikkim.

Duk Nath Nepal, uncle robbed in New Delhi

Gangtok, June 29: Sikkim Liberation Party President Duk Nath Nepal and his uncle were robbed of their cash and other belongings at knife point allegedly by a group of miscreants in a white Toyota Innova car near Delhi Secretariat late on Wednesday.

Police said the incident was reported to the police control room around midnight. The victims were travelling in an auto rickshaw.

Nepal, also the editor of Gangtok-based Shangrila Times (daily Nepali) and critic of the establishment, and his uncle Madhusudan had arrived in the city to attend a seminar. The two, a senior police officer said, were headed towards Paharganj from Anand Vihar interstate bus terminal in an auto rickshaw when they were intercepted by the assailants, The Hindustan Times reported.

"The miscreants intercepted the auto rickshaw and two of the accused overpowered the auto rickshaw driver. Three others robbed the victims of their laptop, mobile phones and Rs. 14,500 in cash after pointing knives at them. After robbing the victims, the assailants fled in their Innova car," said the senior police officer. A case was registered at the IP Estate police station.

The complainants said there were five men in the car who were aged between 20-30 years.

"We have got definite clues about the accused and are hopeful of arresting them soon," said an investigating officer.

The incident, which took place barely 300 metres from the Delhi Police headquarters where two PCR vehicles are deployed round the clock, has raised serious questions on security in the capital.

GJM meet on Saturday on GTA polls

Darjeeling, June 29: While the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leadership will announce on Saturday its stand on the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) elections slated for July 29, there were heated discussions here on Thursday between party president Bimal Gurung and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the outstanding issues relating to the territorial jurisdiction of the proposed new body.

“We have been discussing the territory issue (with the State Government) for long. So it is natural there will be a few heated exchanges on the matter,” Gurung told journalists at the State Secretariat after a meeting between a five-member GJM delegation led by him and Banerjee, which he otherwise described as “good”, Indian Express reported.

“Our anger is justified. There has been so much delay in determining our territory. Moreover, we are not satisfied with the Justice Shyamal Sen Committee report. We have informed the CM about out issues. She has directed us to submit all documents and our issues in writing to the committee that was formed to verify the facts presented in the Justice Sen Committee report. We have faith in the fact verification committee and we will submit all our documents to them,” Gurung said.

On the GJM participating in the upcoming GTA polls, he said though a decision would be taken at a core committee meeting of the party in Darjeeling on June 30, it would win in all the 45 constituencies where elections will be held, were the GJM to contest.

“If we don’t win in 45 out of the 45 constituencies, I will leave politics,” Gurung said, throwing ample hints that the GJM is considering participating in the elections despite its differences with the Government on the question of inclusion of Gorkha-dominated mouzas in the Terai and Dooars within the ambit of the GTA.

The GJM’s opposition to the recommendation of the committee headed by Justice (Retired) Shyamal Sen, that five mouzas in the Terai and the Dooars be transferred to the GTA — as against the party’s demand for 396 — was reasserted at the meeting with Banerjee. “We gave our views on the matter, and were asked by Madam (Ms. Banerjee) to submit our complaints and reports to the fact-verification committee (set up to look into the factual aspects of the report of the panel headed by Justice Sen),” Gurung said. The GJM has faith in the fact-verification committee, and is ready to wait for its findings,” he added.

On the presidential election, Gurung confirmed that the GJM would back the decision of the West Bengal government. “We will support Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision regarding the presidential polls. Whatever she will decide, we will be with her,” Gurung said.

Bridge collapses on Yangang-Makha route

Yangang, June 29: Last week, a massive boulder slip occurred along Yangang-Makha road in South Sikkim, which probably had been shaken loose by the September 18, 2011 earthquake.

The Bhaley Khola steel bridge located below was completely damaged by the boulder slip. The left side portion of the bridge has been dislodged from the abutment. The impact on the bridge has been so huge that the whole structure of the bridge has been twisted; traffic on both sides has come to a standstill, IPR release said.

Keeping in view the urgency of the matter, Addl. Chief Engineer(S/W) accompanied by Superintending Engineer (South) and other field engineers visited the site the very next day i.e. on  June 21 and took stock of the situation.

 The road connects far flung areas such as Lingipayong, Makha, Lingmoo, Tokdey, Mangzing to Yangang where  Block Administrative Centres are located. Construction of temporary foot suspension has already been started and will be completed in within next fifteen days. The steel bridge will take at least four months to complete, the release said.