Bhoj Raj starts campaign against Pawan Chamling from Namchi

Gangtok, November 27: Where is area MLA of Upper Burtuk? Whether he will turn-up in the foundation laid programme of Mahakhim on November 27 at Ranka… the people’s speculation will remain unanswered.

The reliable source said that P S Tamang’s whereabout is still a question mark and confirmed that he’ll not present in the said official programme of the foundation laid stone of Mahakhim, the religious temple of Rai community in Ranka Rai Goan, 15 kilometers away from Gangtok.
After long speculation of sitting MLA of Upper Burtuk, P S Tamang hibernation after the assembly election in May last, might have turn in an official programme in his area, will clearly shows that he is leading the dissidence within the party and its party culture.
It is said that the people who are chasing him have not found where he is?
The party sources said that on the eve of foundation stone laying at Ranka, chief minister will hand over all the political and other charges to the government Chief Whip Ugen Bhutia besides his home constituency Tumin-Lingee.
The common people and party supporters are opposing the party’s imposing candidates from outside the constituency saying that the imposed candidates has hamper the development and other socio-political development has been pushed in the back foot from last 10 years.
On the other side, the disgruntle leader Bhoj Raj Rai today campaigned openly in Namchi Bazaar for creation of alternative to ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) under the leadership of P S Tamang.
He had met founder members of the SDF party in Namchi and advocates to alternative political outfit in the state.
However, founder members of SDF, (whose name are not disclosed on their request) said that both the disgruntled leaders are in SDF party. Party has not taken any disciplinary actions against the duo, will remain the members of the SDF party has nothing wrong to talk openly with them.
(Via Himalayan Mirror)

‘Anti-Incumbency’ wave sweeping across Sikkim Democratic Party

PS Tamang a ‘Dark Horse’ within the SDF party

Gangtok, November 25: In continuance to the waves of dissidence within the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) making rounds, a close aide to Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has himself coded that the turbulence is actually being felt within the party ranks. On condition of anonymity, the party senior mentor today held Chamling’s ‘Dictatorial’ style of functioning responsible for the quandary.

Bouncing back on Chamling, he said “Power makes people corrupt, but absolute power corrupts absolutely” following which Chamling has surfaced as “Superlatively corrupt”. Relying high on his political career since the first Chief Minster LD Kazi’s regime, the veteran politician calculated that an absolute majority in the state assembly has always proved inauspicious in Sikkim ’s power game. Citing instances on how the late Kazi and even the Bhandari regime tumbled after having secured all 32 seats, he said that the same adversity would soon creep into the SDF.

During an exclusive interview with this publication, the senior party man further said that Chamling has gradually failed to live up to the expectations of the common people. “Even those who staked their lives to oust Bhandari and establish Chamling during the 1994 elections are today either hammered or fatally attacked”. He further rapped Chamling for the failure of his government to nab the culprits, following which similar disruptive elements are enjoying free hand in the state. To top it off, he further said that Chamling failed to convince numerous government employees who were either assured promotions or pay revision as per the recommendations of the fourth pay commission formed by Chamling himself. “After having failed to do so, the financial crisis has stalled all developmental works in the state” he said.

Interestingly, the senior leader has pointed out that a strong “Anti- Incumbency factor’ is being experienced within the SDF, that too after the elections that ended just six months back. He further attributed this factor to be the root cause of dissidence within the party.

Commenting on the party’s present state of affairs, the political veteran said “Chamling has now lost his forts, a change is obviously expected”. When asked about PS Tamang’s fortune in the Sikkimese political arena, he tagged the dissident Tamang as a ‘Dark Horse’ of the SDF. “He still has a long way to go, and is Chamling’s only substitute” he said. He further assumed that Tamang being the most popular figures in the SDF could go beyond popular expectations and could change the realms of power in Sikkim
Himalayan Mirror Bureau

Former Sikkim Minister PS Tamang continues to be sidelined

pix:SikkimExpress

GANGTOK, November 15: Having suffered a series of strategic blows including losing his home turf, denied a place in the council of ministers by rookies and annexation of his new political ground by an upstart, the patience of former Sports minister PS Tamang could be sorely tested from an unexpected quarter-football or rather a football tournament.
The second LD Kazi memorial gold cup football tournament set to begin from December 2 at Chakung, West Sikkim has one missing person among the surplus in the new tournament organizing committee-PS Tamang who had kick-started the successful tournament in 2008 donning three hats of Chakung legislature, Sports & Youth Affairs Minister and chief patron of Chakung Sports Association.
Presently, Mr. Tamang has only one hat that too a differently coloured one-Burtuk MLA, far far away from his once West Sikkim stronghold.
It may be recalled that Mr. Tamang had not only played a pivotal role in starting the tournament in the memory of the first Chief Minister of Sikkim who passed away in 2007 but had also ensured the sustainability of the tournament for a decade by roping in Jal Power Corporation to sponsor the cash prize of Rs. 3 lakhs for the tournament for a period of ten years.
Though he had ensured the sustainability of the LD Kazi memorial gold cup tournament, Mr. Tamang now one year later find himself out of his Chakung bastion and also serially sidelined in the SDF empire as a ‘persona non grata’.
According a Nepali daily newspaper report published today, the former organizing committee of the LD Kazi memorial gold cup football tournament has been disbanded and a new committee set up to conduct the second edition of the tournament scheduled to commence from December 2.
Area MLA of the newly amalgamated constituency of Chakung-Soreng, RB Subba who is also the State Roads & Bridges minister has been nominated as the chief patron of the organizing committee in a meeting conducted yesterday at Soreng. The State sports & youth affairs minister NK Pradhan, departmental secretary HK Karki and former legislature CB Rai are the patrons of the committee with RM Rai as the chief convener, the Nepali daily newspaper reported.
In fact, Mr. Tamang has making news despite ‘not being in news’ as the vernacular newspapers here continue to report about him going underground seen neither in his earlier stronghold areas of West Sikkim but also here in his electoral constituency of Burtuk who had given him a resounding mandate in the April-May 2009 Assembly elections.
With his voters left exasperated by his continuous MIA, it has been widely reported that the political charge of Burtuk has been handed over to a popular local person.
However, the ruling party quickly refuted the news as misleading.
Recently, Mr. Tamang has been included as one of the fourteen vice-presidents in the newly constituted central executive committee list of the SDF party, a move which is claimed to wider dimensions ranging from appeasement policy to a tactical step to give the reportedly disgruntled youth leader a long rope.
Meanwhile, premature reports have been speculating that Mr. Tamang or his supporters may show their cards at the end of this year.
Keeping aside such speculations, one cherished football tournament cup has already slipped out of the pioneer’s hand as people switch flanks to hail the rising sun.