12 April, 2004; NOW! 1

C M Y K

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KUNGA NIMAOVERREACTED,SAYS GYAMTSOa NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 11 April: SDF’sRajya Sabha MP, PT Gyamtso,while commenting on his formercolleague in the party, Kunga NimaLepcha’s decision to leave the partyand join the Congress [I], said thatnot only had Mr. Lepcha over-re-acted by doing so, but had also “mis-understood” the party president andChief Minister, Pawan Chamling,when he led himself to believe thathe would be given the ticket to con-test from Assam Lingzey.

“Mr. Chamling, when he metMr. Lepcha, had assured him that histicket aspiration would be consid-ered. No assurance could have beengiven because the ticket distributionis decided by SDF’s parliamentaryboard. This assurance for considera-tion was obviously understood byMr. Lepcha as assurance for theticket itself,” Mr. Gyamtso saidwhile speaking to NOW!

While admitting that Mr.Lepcha’s parting from the SDF wasa “sad loss,” Mr. Gyamtso said thatsuch opportunism could only beexpected in the run-up to the polls.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 11 April: FormerChief Minister and president,Sikkim Pradesh Congress Commit-tee-I, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, be-lieves that the Congress, being a“national party,” is large enough to“accommodate everyone” in its fold.

“The Congress has room for eve-rybody. We are a national party andtherefore, in a position to accommo-date a lot of people. Regional partiescannot do this,” Mr. Bhandari said,in an obvious reference to the recentspate of disgruntled members fromthe ruling Sikkim Democratic Frontjoining the Congress.

“The SDF is now on shakygrounds,” he said while comment-ing on his recent acquisitions.

Speaking to media persons at theparty headquarters here today, Mr.Bhandari revealed the latest convert,

Cong large enough to accommodate everyone: Bhandari

former minister Sonam ChodaLepcha from Dzongu who joinedthe party today, along with two oth-ers from the same constituency.

Former chairman, SITCO andsitting Zilla Panchayat memberfrom Hee-Gyathang, ChopelLepcha and two-time ZillaAdhyaksha, North, Tenzor Lepchaquit the SDF and joined the Con-gress along with Mr. Lepcha today.

Mr. Lepcha has been given theCongress ticket for Dzongu, a con-stituency he lost as an SDF candi-date in 1999 to then SSP’s SonamGyatso Lepcha, who will be con-testing this time on an SDF ticket.

Mr. Bhandari also disclosed thatthe Pathing seat in East Sikkim has

been “reserved” for Tseten TashiBhutia, who resigned as the con-vener of the Sikkim Bhutia-LepchaApex Committee [SIBLAC] yester-day at Kabi in North Sikkim to for-mally join the Congress.

When asked to reveal the en-tire list of the party’s candidates forthe polls, the Congress presidentsaid that he was in “consultationwith pundits and Rinpoches” for anauspicious time and date to an-nounce the list. He, however, re-vealed the nine names for the Westdistrict: Dal Bahadur Gurung[Geyzing]; Sher Hang Subba[Dentam]; PR Subba [Hee-Bermiok]; Pema Kinzong Bhutia[Rinchenpong]; Satish Mohan

Sonam Choda joins Cong,bags Dzongu ticket

Pradhan [Chakung]; Ashok Tsong[Soreng]; Amar Subba [Daramdin];Mangal Bir Subba [Yuksom] andSonam Dadul Bhutia [Tashiding].

Mr. Bhandari also confirmedthe names of all three candidatesfor north Sikkim as Anil Lachenpa[Lachen-Mangshila]; PaldenBhutia [Kabi-Tingda] and SonamChoda Lepcha [Dzongu].

Explaining his decision to sendformer Power Secretary, LP Tewarito Central Pendam and himself shift-ing to Temi-Tarku, Mr. Bhandarisaid it was “part of greater strate-gies required for electioneering.”

Returning to the topic of baggingdissident SDF members in the recentpast Mr. Bhandari said that these de-velopments could make a major dif-ference in the elections this time.

PATHING “RESERVED”FOR TSETEN

SDF POLL PUSH TO STARTWITH SORENG ON 16TH

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 11 April: The SikkimDemocratic Front president andchief minister Pawan Chamling willlaunch a whirlwind round of publicmeetings on 16 April as he leads hisparty in its bid to return to power.

The ruling front, which has re-mained largely silent, save somepress releases on the welcomes re-ceived by its candidates at their re-spective constituencies, has inter-estingly decided to start with

Soreng, a constituency which hasseen a spate of poll-related violenceand where the Congress is reportedto be gaining ground.

SDF leaders are convinced thatall it will require to reverse Con-gress gains in this constituency is apublic meeting by Mr. Chamling.

In fact, the first round of pub-lic meetings to be addressed by Mr.Chamling will mostly cover con-stituencies where the Congress hasbeen more active in the recent past.

On 17 April, Mr. Chamling will

address a public meeting at Hee-Bermiok, followed by Geyzing the nextday, Ravangla on 19 April, Namthangon 20th and Jorethang on 21st.

A day’s rest and on 23 April,all candidates of the SDF will befiling their nomination papers forthe upcoming polls scheduled for10 May.

All eyes are now set on the toneMr. Chamling sets for the partycampaign. How he reacts in thepublic domain to the recent spateof dissidence in party ranks and de-

fections to the Congress camp, willalso be interesting to watch.Sources further reveal that the SDFmanifesto, which they claim ispath-breaking in its content, willalso be released before Mr.Chamling takes the campaign trail.

iNSIDE Kalimpong split over Congress

candidate for Lok Sabha

NORBULA ORPAREKH?

TURN TO pg 7

BHANDARI DROPS OUT OF CENTRAL PENDAM, OPTS FOR TEMIDETAILS ON pg 7

2; NOW!; 12 April, 2004

C M Y K

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

Ours is a country that plays havoc withnumbers. We invented the zero andyet in that last cosmic inventory of

gods and goddesses were counting upwardsof 30 crores. We are a statisticians delightand a nightmare. It is said that our railwaysferry around more people in a day than theentire population of New Zealand. One couldgo overboard writing and rewriting therecords that the multitudes in India make andbreak everyday. Our constitution has morepages than the Bible and the Mahabharata isthe longest epic ever written.

Very soon, we will accomplish anotherstatistical feat that we do not tire gloatingabout. The largest democracy in the worldwill elect itself a new team to steer the ship.It could be the same set of folks at the helmor some other worthies. But that is not whatwe are worried about at the moment. Themain preoccupation is to get the process right.The giant administrative machinery suddenlyhas something else to worry about. The footsoldiers that administer this ritual of democ-racy are the grade four and grade three staffof various departments with teachers thrownin for good measure.

In a largely impartial, invisible lottery thattakes place in the SDO’s office, governmentservants are assigned responsibilities andpolling stations. For a few times in their of-ficial life the clerk/ teacher etc become an

Sikkim is heading for yet another state election. Theelections are scheduled to be

held on 10 May and poll-relatedpreparations are underway. Politi-cal parties are finalizing their re-spective strategies and some mani-festoes have already been released.Here is an attempt at identifying thereal issues at stake in the hope thatthey find prominence despite all theemotional issues that will undoubt-edly get invoked in the month ahead.

One important issue for theelections will be development.Socio-economic development ofthe state should be the foremost inthe agenda of the political parties.Here are some facts and figures thatshed more light on the pace of de-velopment in Sikkim.

Sikkim has the 5th highest percapita growth rate in the country.In also has the 4th lowest ratio ofgross fiscal deficit to planned ex-penditure. In terms of allocation ofplan expenditure to social sectorSikkim ranks 4th. The state also hasthe 3rd highest position in percapita share of planned outlay andis 14th as far as per capita incomeis concerned. As for the literacyrate, Sikkim is ranked 16th.

These facts reveal that Sikkimhas paved its way slowly andsmoothly into the 21st century.Compared with other northeasternstates, Sikkim is definitely moredeveloped. This is due to the clearvision of the political leadershipwhich has balanced both the eco-nomic and human resource aspectsof development.

Another issue of concern is thatof rising unemployment. Unemploy-ment should be tackled by providingentrepreneurship training to youths,provision of loans, technical know-

how and other related information.This is another challenge for the po-litical parties wanting to form thegovernment and it will be interestingto learn what they have to say aboutthe issue in their campaigns.

A major source of revenue forthe state is Tourism which is alsothe backbone of the state’seconomy. The next governmentshould focus more on the capitalexpenditure aspect by investingmore in tourism-related projectsand training the human resourcesof the state in tourism education.

About 64 per cent of the state’spopulation lives in the rural sector andis engaged in farm related activities.This sector contributes to about 90 percent to the state GDP. There is in-creased mobility of people from therural sector to the urban sector and ifthis continues unabated, agriculturalproduction will steadily decline bring-ing down the state’s GDP in its wake.To prevent this, the government needsto focus on the agricultural sector andprovide agricultural subsidies to farm-ers as well as efficient farming tech-nologies and market related informa-tion for their products. The GrameenBanks of Bangladesh are a good ex-ample by which people living in ruralareas can find out the price of theircommodities in the big towns and cit-ies and make proper adjustments.

Sikkim is entering the post-WTO arena. How should the com-ing government tackle the chal-lenges and threats thrown up by thepost WTO- period? What are themajor issues confronting the state?

The Sikkim Human Develop-

ment Report commented on thesteady decline of intellectuals in thestate due to lack of a free flow offunds. This will have an adverseimpact on the entrepreneurshipskills of the people which will inturn have an adverse impact on theeconomy of the state.

Another challenge for the com-ing government will be the curb-ing of the menace of intellectualproperty theft, now a major issuewith India having entered WTO andalso being a member of GATT.Sikkim has a wide variety of me-dicinal herbs and other medicinalplants the production and commer-cial utility of which need to be pro-tected from intellectual theft.

Another great event awaitingSikkim is the reopening of the Nathulato trade. This will provide a huge po-tential as well as threat to the tradersand will be a welcome developmentfor tourism. Sikkim is known for itstraditional crafts and carpets. A ques-tion to be asked is whether the importof Tibetan carpets and other craftsitems could hamper the small craftsindustry of Sikkim by flooding thelocal market with Chinese products.

The next government shouldstudy the socio-economic benefitsthat the state would get after theopening of the Nathula pass to trade.Since India is a member of the WTOit has to some day bring down itstariff to zero per cent. This will putpressure on the states and one wayto tackle this is to make the domes-tic revenue mechanism efficient andeffective. Sales tax has given wayto VAT which is indeed an impor-tant measure for abolishing malprac-tices. An important step towards in-creasing efficiency of the domesticrevenue mechanism is decentralisa-

VIEWPOINTBHUPAL K. CHETTRI

The next government should be SMART

Democratic DutiesKpg

State

Of Mind

by PRAVEEN MOKTAN

officer. The grand title bestowed upon thebabus is that of the presiding officer. Thelower level functionaries are not left out ei-ther in this generous allotment of ranks. Theybecome the first polling, the second pollingand the third polling officers. [The icing onthe cake are the police guards and the per-sonal transport over which the presiding over-seer has absolute control.]

Once this is done, the nextprocess is their education in elec-tion etiquette. In what are largelyformal gatherings, both, the teach-ers and the taught, tax their mindswith details that are handed down fromhigher quarters. The BDOs and others of theirilk strain their pedantic capabilities to themaximum as they leave no stone unturned inenlightening the gathering on the subtlerpoints of electioneering.

In the run-up to the last elections, theygrandly introduced to us the voting machine.Officialdom was quick to pin it down with anabbreviation- calling it in all future referencesas the EVM. It was an electronic contraptionwhose circuitry captured the political fate of

the candidates and brought about a semblanceof propriety to the process. This of course notonly simplified the election procedure but alsomade it safer. It also made us superior to theUS of A, the duplicity of whose election re-sults are plaguing the whole world today.

In Kalimpong, the day of departure at theMela ground is a huge circus. The team hasto gather and then the election paraphernalia

need to be collected and counted tillone is absolutely certain. There are

up to three-dozen articles of diversehues and shapes and uses. Of course equallyimportant are the unofficial provisions thatdo not find mention in the election manualsbut are absolutely essential in making thewhole affair a picnic for the majority.

The only people dangling in confuseduncertainty are those assigned to the ‘re-served’ category of officials. These have towait to see if they can fill in for anyone whocannot make it in the last moment. The restmove towards their destinations with vari-ous senses of purpose. It’s a great way to go

to the inner bellies of our great nation. Awonderful opportunity to guard the bastionsof democracy. And of course engage in someof the most comical goof-ups ever enactedout in the grand drama of administration. Thisis my all time favourite:

It is from a time when the EVMs had notyet been introduced. A group of intrepid offi-cials having satisfied themselves with all thepreliminaries set out for the polling station.After having driven for the better part of anhour, it was collectively decided, based ofcourse on a team member’s uncanny hunch,to once again sort out the equipment and findout for one final time whether they had every-thing ready for the great day tomorrow. Thegood fellow was correct. They did not findwhat the official list described gravely as the‘pusher’. They counted and recounted and didall that they could but the ‘pusher’ was no-where to be seen. Thanking their stars for thatremarkable piece of foresight they returned tothe head quarters at the municipal schoolbuilding to lay claim to that useful appendageof electioneering the ‘pusher’.

They, of course, were promptly providedwith one so that they could once again setout for the more important task of facilitat-ing democracy.

The ‘pusher’ turned out to be an innocu-ous strip of bamboo to push the ballot paperinto the box.

Isolationist TendenciesIt is embarrassing how easily the Sikkimese people allowthemselves to be taken for a ride. Apolitical organizations withblatantly obvious political ambitions are allowed to create issues,raise furore, fan paranoia and then reveal their true colours withoutanyone demanding an explanation. But more than the people’ssusceptibility to a con game, it is their willingness to getcommunalised that is embarrassing. After all, how effectively cana population of barely 5.5 lakhs be divided? Into how many sub-groupings? Over how many issues? And how often?It is pointless to deny that divisions do not exist within theSikkimese society. Given that each of us belong to somecommunity or the other, it is an accepted fact that we are inherentlycommunal. But, because we are also social animals living in morecosmopolitan times, this inherent communal streak seldomdevelops into paranoia or gets directed against other communities.This social grooming, however, collapses fast when the leader ofthe pack smells blood – the possibility of making an issue emotiveand convincing enough for a people to feel threatened and grouptogether. Few things move off the counter faster than a fabricatedconspiracy theory. The more preposterous the fabrication, themore looming is the threat perception.In these times of flux, there is definitely need for everyone to feelthreatened, but to feel threatened enough to take leave of logic isas embarrassing as the belief that Indian culture is threatened byforeign television channels - a threat being waved often, but alsopreposterous to boot. Sikkim’s problem harks from its refusal tostop whispering and start talking. Since perceptions of a threatare interpreted from social signals, it would bode well for everyoneif they genuinely started believing that they live in a democracyand that dialogue is possible in this system. Sikkim’s communitiescontinue to opt for the more anonymous route of pamphlets,kitchen meetings and insular meetings to discuss their problemswhile presenting a mask of amity for public consumption. Themask has been ripped apart many a times, but the people tend toshut their eyes when the real face is unveiled only to wake up toa new mask and new arguments later. The routine has been playedout again and will be tried in the future too. Thirty years of exposureto this charade since it adopted democracy and the centuries forwhich the same routine was played out under a monarchy do notseem to have wizened the people. The elections are already uponus and one cannot expect any changes this time, but since hopeis all that is left, let’s hope again that better sense prevails in thenext five years.

turn to pg 7

12 April, 2004; NOW! 3

C M Y K

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SAGAR CHETTRI

GANGTOK, 11 April: TheChristain holy weekend whichended with Easter Sunday todaywas celebrated here in Gangtokwith much festivity.

GOOD FRIDAY

A devotional procession by thename of ‘Way of the Cross’

was taken out jointly by four par-ishes of East district namely St.Thomas Church, Gangtok, St.Paul’s Centre, Tadong, St. Peter’sChurch, Assam-Lingzey and Christthe King Church, Pakyong on 9April. The occasion was to markGood Friday, the day on which Je-sus Christ was supposedly cruci-fied. During the procession whichbegan from Deorali, the children ofSt. Peter’s Church enacted all the14 stages of the last 24 hours of theearthly life of Jesus Christ for thebetter understanding of the people.The rally ended at the Grotto ofMother Mary within the premisesof St. Thomas’ School with a con-cluding prayer and a spiritual mes-sage for all the participants.

GOOD FRIDAY BLOODDONATION CAMP

The United Christian WelfareSociety of Sikkim organized a

Good Friday Blood DonationCamp at STNM Hospital on 9April. The people from variouschurches participated in this dona-tion camp. About 35 people do-nated their blood during the camp.

EASTER RALLY

The United Christian WelfareSociety of Sikkim organized an

Easter Rally on 11 April in celebra-tion of Easter Sunday. The rallybegan from the Convoy Groundsand ended at PNGSS ground. The

rally began with a prayer by pastorPK Rai and all along the way theprocession sang devotional songs.About 15 churches participated inthis rally with above 5000 peopletaking part in the procession. Aprogramme in celebration of EasterSunday was organized at PNGSSground which included scripturereadings, special songs and dancesand an Easter message. The pro-gramme was presented by the dif-ferent churches of Gangtok.

[clockwise] The Good Friday rally with enactments of theCrucifiction. The Easter Rally on Sunday and the cultural pro-

gramme with which the rally culminated at PNGSSS.

THE EASTER WEEKEND AT GANGTOK

4; NOW!; 12 April, 2004

C M Y K

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DEEPAK SHARMA

KABI-LONGSTOK: A LhabsolPuja along with an All SikkimBhutia Lepcha Convention forPeace in Sikkim was organised bySIBLAC here on 10 April. The puja,which was inaugurated by PathingRinpoche along with other lamas,was followed by the meeting ofSIBLAC and convened by TsetenTashi Bhutia and Nima Lepchaalong with other SIBLAC members.

At the conclusion of the meet,Mr. Bhutia announced his resigna-tion from his post with SIBLAC,explaining that he had received aticket from the Congress for theupcoming assembly polls.

He, however, assured that hewould continue to work for the in-terests of SIBLAC.

The prayer meet, which beganat around 8 am, saw the participa-tion of Buddhist monks and Lepcha

Tseten gets Cong ticket, assures to remain true to SIBLACBongthings from all over Sikkim.

Around 8,000 members of thetwo communities gathered to payhomage to their ancestors andguardian deities of Sikkim.

Mr. Bhutia reminded the peo-ple of the sanctity of Kabi Longstokand also of the 12-point manifestoof SIBLAC which included protec-tion of the community under Arti-cle 371F of the Constitution, de-limitation and protest against reo-pening of the Nathula trade routeuntil the BL rights were secured.

According to him, the provi-sions under Art. 371 F were in dan-ger of being eroded and needed tobe protected for the interests of theBL community. In his address healso admitted that though a socialorganisation, SIBLAC was sup-porting the Congress party because“…despite repeated requests nopolitical party has yet been able tofulfil the demands of SIBLAC.

Only the Congress has given a posi-tive and sympathetic response toour demands.” He also added thatthe BJP had also shown sympathytowards their demands.

“We are a social organisation butour demands are political becausetoday we all are politically, sociallyand economically diluted by the in-cumbent government,” he alleged.

Among other questions he raisedwere the Rs. 40 crore budget allottedfor the modernization of the policeforce, increasing unemployment andwhether the expenditure on educationwas really benefiting the students. Hewent on to accuse the SDF govern-ment of fooling the people and play-ing the card of communalism andcasteism in the name of politics.

Mr. Bhutia is slated to contestthe Assembly polls from Pathing inEast Sikkim. He will be pittedagainst Mingma Sherpa of the SDF.It will an interesting contest given

that SIBLAC is opposed to theclubbing of Sherpas as Bhutias

which it feels dilutes the politicalrights of the BLs.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 11 April: GNLF,Sikkim, is all set to change the styleof campaigning in the State. A pressrelease issued by the party revealsits distaste for huge motorcades andrallies. The Sikkim GNLF will in-stead opt for more personalisedcanvassing of addressing support-ers individually sans the rush of ve-hicles and vociferous sloganeering.

The party has also accusedother political outfits of cheatingthe people and stressed on the de-velopment of the state as a healthy,peaceful and secure society. Forthis, the GNLF[S] says that politicshas to be such which will createunity and a feeling of onenessamong the people.

The release goes on to claimthat the party candidate for Hee-Bermiok, Puran Kharka has the full

support of the people there. Simi-larly, Nima Sherpa of Rinchenpongconstituency, too, has a good sup-port base, it claims. The Geyzingcandidate Chandra BahadurKatuwal is reportedly working ac-tively for the elections while theSikkim-unit president, SatishChandra Rai, is also actively en-gaged in mustering up support inJorethang constituency. TheGNLF(S) candidate for Gangtok isto be Pintso Dorjee Bhutia whilefor the Tashiding constituency theparty has named Aaden Lepcha.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rai, at a blocklevel “public relations abhiyan” al-leged that the “opportunistic poli-tics” prevailing in Sikkim was caus-ing insecurity among the people.

He projected the GNLF[S] asthe party which can provide a se-curity shield for the people ofSikkim.

GNLF [S] thumbs down showof strength politics, promises

more personalisedcampaigning

tion which requires more of a net-working structure instead of the ex-isting hierarchy. Sharing of informa-tion and coordination among themembers becomes efficient. In thepost-Modern era, power means in-formation and information shouldbe not be centralised.

Therefore, I think Sikkim needsa SMART government. SMARTmeaning Small, Moral, Account-able, Responsive and Transparent.A sustainable future is linked to sus-tainable development. And sustain-able future requires proper planningand implementation of the develop-mental projects. Let the people ofSikkim decide which party and lead-ership can provide this vision of asustainable future for them.

[The writer is a final year post-graduate student]

contd from pg 2

The nextgovernmentshould beSMART

12 April, 2004; NOW! 5

C M Y K

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“The departments should not preach tothe public about hygiene and sanitationwhen they cannot keep even the bath-rooms at public places clean,” say thepeople. And what can be more public thanthe District Administrative Centre, whichscores of people visit everyday.

The DAC toilet is just opposite themain entrance of the office, a shamefulsymbol of apathy at work. “Is there anydepartment that can fix this?” ask theoffice goers.

Is there?

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 11 April: Fiveyears ago, Broccoli was a rare sighthere in Kalimpong, the supply ofthe renowned Darjeeling orangeswas diminishing and even thoseinterested in farming could not pro-cure proper seedlings.

Now, with the inception of KrishiVigyan Kendra [KVK] and RegionalResearch Station - Uttar Banga KrishiViswavidyalaya [UBKV] farmingand agriculture in this hill town has

Kalimpong invests in farmers, gives them research and training instituteundergone a sea change.

The opening of the new complexfor KVK on 09 April is certainlywelcome news for the farming com-munity here. The complex, built at acost of Rs. 23 lakhs has several newfacilities which includes a betterworking environment for the agricul-tural scientists. The facility was in-augurated by Dr. P. Das, DirectorGeneral, Indian Council of Agricul-tural Research [ICAR], New Delhi.

In the near future, Rs. 8 lakhswill be invested for propping up the

required technology for water har-vesting and another Rs. 8 lakhs forthe construction of hostel facilitiesfor farmers who will have to resideat the Regional Research Station.

While addressing those present,Dr. BC Saha, Chief Project Scien-tist, KVK, said that apart frombringing about a change in thefarming sector, floriculture toowould see much development es-pecially as far as providing employ-ment and meaningful work for theself-help groups was concerned.

There was already some outstand-ing work being done such as thestandardization of cut flowers alongwith the cultivation of high valuehorticultural crops, he informed.

“We have to relate peasantry tobusiness and for that we have tostress more on quality to make apositive impact.”

“Kalimpong as far as we knowis the most suitable place for culti-vation of high-value and seasonalvegetables so there should be atransfer of technology from the

laboratories to the field for qualityoutcome. We will be shortly incor-porating a well equipped water test-ing lab in the KVK,” he added.

“Since Independence, India hasdeveloped vastly in terms of agricul-ture but still it only it backs 27per-cent to the GDP in spite of the factthat ours is an agricultural country.Hence, our main aim should now bethe transfer of technology, individualapproach, and precision in quality,”said Prof. Majumdar, Vice Chancel-lor [UBKV].

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Ranka welcomesSDF candidatea NOW REPORT

RANKA, 09 April: First-timer,Nimkhit Lepcha, selected by theSDF to contest from Ranka constitu-ency, was introduced to her elector-ate today at a gathering of panchayatunit members from Ranka. The in-troductions were made by zillaadhakshya IB Rai, former MLAfrom Ranka, Rinzing Ongmu, andchairperson of Sikkim Women’sCouncil, Manita Pradhan.

Introducing Ms. Lepcha, seniorparty leaders said, “The party presi-dent has sent a new candidate tobrighten the future of Ranka, so wemust accept the decision and votefor her as on her success dependsthe success of Ranka.”

The candidate, in her address,said that she had come to Rankawith the blessings of PawanChamling to work for the people.She said that she hoped that all thepeople present would support herbased on the ideology and ethics ofthe SDF that she represents.

“My success is not my own, butthe success of the people ofRanka,” she said.

PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 10 April: Representa-tives of the Muslim community ofSikkim met here today at the MarutBhavan to discuss the various prob-lems of their community in the Stateand in a significant move, decidedto form the All Sikkim Muslim As-sociation. The meeting was calledby Md. Safique of Namchi, who wasalso elected the president of the As-sociation, and was attended byeighty representatives.

Among the new Association’sobjectives is to work for the

upliftment of the poor along withthe preservation of the old Masjidof Sikkim.

According to the Associationpresident, “The meeting was calledso that the Muslims of Sikkim couldget together on one platform and dis-cuss their problems.” The executivecommittee of the Association wasalso elected today and comprises of:Md Safique [president], Kapil Mas-

ter of Mangan as Vice president, Md.Aluadin [Mangan], vice president;Md. Masoom [Jorethang], generalsecretary, Sheikh Safiulla [Singtam],Md. Muslim [Geyzing], and Md.Mansoor [Singtam] as joint secretar-ies, Abdul Shakoor [Gangtok] andAllaudin [Mangan] as treasurers.

The Association is scheduled tohold its next meeting at Singtam intwo month’s time.

Sikkim Muslim body formed at Namchi

Dissatisfaction over candidateleads to assault

a NOW REPORT

NAMCHI: Dilip Rai of Mickhola,under Jorethang constituency, was as-saulted by a group of boys at PWDDak Banglow premises here at around6:30 pm on 08 April. In a report filedby him with the police here, he hasnamed the five who assaulted him

outside the Dak Bungalow even as theSDF candidate for Jorethang, KN Rai,was holding a meeting inside with an-other SDF leader from Jorethang,Binod Rai. The assaulted youth hasalleged that the assault was politicallymotivated and stemmed from dissat-isfaction over the candidate selectedfor Jorethang by the SDF.

CORRIGENDUM: Apropos thenews item carried in NOW! dated09 April, 2004, headlined “EVMtraining for South.” The reportmentioned that the SP [South] andthe Zilla Adhakshya had also at-tended the meeting. This standscorrected. The two officials werenot present for the training held forpolling and presiding officers forthe forthcoming elections. The er-ror is regretted. -ed

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Smt. Ok Sonam PaljorJoint Secretary

DESM&E

NOTICE

BIRENDRA S.

DARJEELING, 11 April: Residentsof the Nepal side of the border townof Pashupati feel let down by Indiaand its security forces which they feelshould have come to their rescueduring Wednesday night’s Maoistattack on the border town.

“With our own forces and withthe SSB on the Indian side, we al-ways felt safe. To our utter shock,the main attack started from Indianterritory and yet no one came to ourrescue,” said a school teacher.

Others were more vocal.Prem Prasad Sapkota, Chief

District Officer, Ilam, when con-tacted by Indian media personnelover telephone, retorted, “Why doyou ask me, ask your own policeand SSB what they were doingwhen the Maoists carried out at-tacks from Indian soil.”

Most of the residents wonder

why the SSB and the Police on theIndian side remained mere specta-tors while the Maoists carried outthe three-hour attack.

Incidentally, before the attackbegan, Maoists broadcast an an-nouncement asking Indian securityagencies to stay away since it wasan internal matter of Nepal and hadnothing to do with India.

An SSB official had also stated:“We found it apt to keep our ownpost secure as we didn’t want theMaoists to get their hands on to oursophisticated weapons.”

A day after the attack, SSB top-brass, including the DIG visited thearea. IGP, North Bengal, B. Mishra,after visiting the spot admitted thatIndian territory could have been

used by Maoists. “On the hilltops,it is very difficult to demarcate be-tween the Indian and Nepal side,”he admitted. Few used cartridgesand an empty automatic weaponmagazine were spotted on a hillockon the Indian side.

Pashupati’s woes are far fromover. Even as the border trade out-post struggles to recuperate, it doesso with rumours of a repeat attack.People can be seen huddled together,listening attentively to the news bul-letins. There was a lot of introspec-tion regarding the 41 policemen in-cluding 2 cooks taken hostage.

Though there is still no newsof where they have been taken,many believe that they could havebeen taken to the jungles in the

Pashupati residents question spectator role of Indian forces“ASK YOUR FORCES WHAT THEY WERE DOING WHEN

THE MAOISTS ATTACKED FROM INDIAN SOIL”Jogmai, Gorkhey or Nayabazar ar-eas. Some also claimed that onBlack Wednesday, there was a foot-ball match in the locality in whichmany outsiders were present as

spectators. “They could have beenMaoists taking stock of the situa-tion” they speculated.

At present, a 200 strong RoyalNepal Army force, including a bomb-disposal squad, has been deployed inthe region. The Squad went aboutdiffusing a land mine, pressurecooker bombs and the socket bombsstrewn all over the area.

The East District Police has set-up a District Control Room atthe District Police Headquarters, Sichey, Gangtok. Thetelephone numbers of the Control Room are: 284632,284633. The District Control Room will be operational roundthe clock with effect from 10 April, 2004. SP [East]

ATTENTION

Dance festfor Namchia NOW REPORT

NAMCHI, 09 April: The Sri SatyaSai Sewa of Sikkim organized astate-level Bal Vikash Students cumYouth Sports and Cultural Meethere on 09 and 10 April at theBhaichung stadium.

The valedictory function of theprogramme was held on 10 Aprilwith the Agriculture Minister in theoutgoing government, GM Gurungas the chief guest.

The programme, which started at8 am with the assembly of Bal Vikashwas followed by the lighting of thebutter lamp and the hosting of theBasanti Fag by the chief guest.

Various colorful cultural danceswere performed by the studentsalong with other sporting events.The top three in each category werefelicitated with mementos.

Bhakti dances were performedby teams from Gangtok, Ranipool,Legship, Deorali, Rhenock Jharongand Namthang. The programme alsoincluded a yoga demonstration bythe Jorethang Sri Satya Sai Samiti.

from OUR CORRESPONDENT

MANGAN, 07 April: The pollingand presiding officers of north districtwere given training for the upcomingAssembly polls today. The trainingwas provided by Dy. Chief ElectoralOfficer, CP Dhakal and District Col-lector, PS Targain and was conductedat the Community Hall.

Mr. Dhakal explained the work-ing of the EVMs using video aswell as through practical lessons.He urged the officers to be “wiseand responsible to their duty of en-suring a fair polling process”.

He informed that polling atMangan would commence at 7 AM

and continue till 5 PM [which couldbe extended in case of a huge turn-out]. Polling officers for the assemblywould be provided pink colour tagswhile those conducting the parliamentpolls will be provided with white col-our tags, it is learnt. Those conduct-ing the poll for the Sangha seat wouldbe provided with blue tags.

It has also been decided by theelection department that voterswithout photo ID cards would alsobe allowed to cast their votes on ex-amination of other documents of

identification such as driving li-cense, ST/SC certificate, rationcard, bank pass book, post officepass book, students’ school certifi-cates and authentic identity cardissued by the district collector.

It was also revealed that no po-litical banners or posters would beallowed at polling booths nor wouldcampaigning be allowed within 100metres of polling booths. Pollingand presiding officers have beenprovided with rule books on elec-tions and the using of EVMs.

Poll rule book out in north

12 April, 2004; NOW! 7

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GEYZING, 11 April: It was achance for a newly inducted Con-gressman to prove their mettle andhe did so by arranging a more hand-some gathering than Congress meet-ings normally witness. An audienceof some 8,000 people was arrangedby DB Gurung for the Congresspublic meeting held here at Kyongsaground on 09 April, last Friday.

Mr. Gurung, alongwith SherhangSubba, was recently expelled fromthe Sikkim Democratic Front andboth are now with the Cong [I] andhave been awarded tickets forGeyzing and Dentam respectively.

But more than their announce-ment as Congress candidates, it wasSPCC [I] president, Nar BahadurBhandari’s revelation that he wouldbe contesting from Temi-Tarku andGangtok in the upcoming Assem-bly polls that grabbed attention. Ithas been widely reported that Mr.Bhandari would be contesting fromGangtok and Central Pendam andhis decision to opt out of Central

Pendam, which voted for his can-didate in the last elections, andswitch over to Temi-Tarku, wherehis wife Dil Kumari Bhandari lostby more than 1,300 votes in the lastelections, has confused many.Former Power Secretary, LPTewari, who was earlier preparingto contest from Geyzing has beensent to Central Pendam.

Be that as it may, SDF’s NKPradhan [Gangtok] and GarjamanGurung [Temi-Tarku] can now pre-pare to square off against the big-gest opposition contender.

Speaking at the Kyongsa ground,Mr. Bhandari, who is assured of thesupport of the Sikkim Bhutia-LepchaApex Committee now that its con-venor, Tseten Tashi Bhutia has re-signed both from SDF and SIBLACto contest the polls on an Cong [I]ticket, alleged that the SDF was go-ing against the tenets of Article 371Fby refusing to field a candidate forthe Sangha seat. SDF, it may be re-called had followed the same princi-ple in the last elections too when itannounced its decision to accept

whichever candidate the monk bodyfound worthy to represent it in theAssembly. A couple of days later,SIBLAC echoed Mr. Bhandari’s sen-timents while commenting on theSDF decision at Kabi.

Allegations of corruption in theSDF government laced Mr. Bhandari’sspeech and he also targeted the incum-bent SDF candidate from Geyzing, SBSubedi, who Mr. Bhandari allegedwas involved in a Rs. 5 crore scam.Should Cong [I] form the next gov-ernment, a case would be filed againstMr. Subedi, he said.

The Congress leader also prom-ised to do away with party-basedPanchayats if voted into power.

Mr. Subba and Mr. Gurung,who were with the ruling Front tillbarely weeks ago, targeted viciousattacks on the SDF government.

“SDF has not done any thingfor Sikkim on its own except whenspending plan fund from centralgovernment. The panchayats arealso not able to do their job freelyin this government,” SherhangSubba thundered.

Bhandari drops out of CentralPendam, opts for Temi

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 11April: There isconfusion over who the Congress can-didate will be from the Darjeeling con-stituency for the Lok Sabha polls. Thefull-fledged campaigning for DawaNorbula and a clear-cut confirmationby the All India Congress Committee[AICC] has failed to clear the confu-sion, at least here at Kalimpong.

At the crux of the confusion isSurendra Parekh, who has just re-turned from Delhi, and who alsoclaims to be the Congress candidatefrom Darjeeling for the MP elec-tions. He has, however, not tabledproper evidence to justify his claims.

A meeting of the Darjeeling Dis-trict Youth Congress [Hill Zone] heldtoday expressed support for Mr. Parekh’scandidature. On the other hand, a meet-ing of the People’s Democratic Front,

ANAND OBEROI

PANGTHANG, 08 April: TheSikkim Armed Police [SAP] hereorganized a Sarva Dharma Puja to-day at its Sarva Dharma Puja Sthal.

True to its name the extraordi-nary puja was conducted by repre-sentatives of Hinduism, Christian-ity, Buddhism and Islam.

The devotees here witnessedand appreciated the prayers and tra-ditions of each others religions.Hindus, Muslims, Christians andBuddhists all could be seen recit-ing prayers as well as singinghymns of other faiths in a reitera-tion of the fact that all religionscould truly coexist peacefully.

The function included prayers/invocations/spiritual discourses/spiritual songs by various ranks ofthe police force. The purpose wasto promote communal harmony,brotherhood and to show that if1,000 SAP personnel and 5,000family members could live, eat andpray with respect for each others’

decided to support Mr. Norbula.“All this confusion is only mis-

leading the people. The section ofCongress members supportingParekh is just trying to create con-fusion and hence mislead the peo-ple of the hills,” said Col. DKPradhan of the GNLF [C] and Chair-man of the PDF committee ofKalimpong. He however refused tocomment on whether the PDF wouldsupport the Congress if Parekh waschosen as the official candidate. Col.Pradhan said that only the PDF cen-tral committee could decide this.

While speaking to NOW!, DilipPradhan, District Youth CongressPresident, when asked to commenton the possibility of the AICC de-ciding on Mr. Norbula as the can-didate from Darjeeling, said that itwould be a complete injustice notonly for the Congress community

Sarva Dharma the SAP way

religions so could the rest of theworld. The programme was alsointended to ease tensions amongpolice personnel while dealing withcommunal charged situations.

Akshay Sachdeva, Comman-dant, SAP while addressing thefunction mentioned that such pro-grammes were important for theworld when there was much com-munal tension around. “Today wehave found a common ground, weshould all be proud”, he said.

Interestingly, SAP holds holdsa “Mandir Parade” every Thursdaywhere teachings from various reli-gions are preached in harmonywhich is intended to create unityand understanding in the force. ThePuja on 08 April was held in a for-mal and larger way so that the mes-sage had a wider reach.

The prayers concluded with thosepresent embracing each other andchanting the message of Peace andUnity and then having a “Prem Bhoj”all together. Such an extraordinarysight is very rare to see these days.

Kalimpong split over Congresscandidate for Lok Sabha

but for the whole of Kalimpong.“No candidate has been chosen

from Kalimpong for the MP elec-tions for a couple of terms now, sowe are pretty confident aboutParekh. It would be really disheart-ening if the candidate selected goesagainst our wishes,” he added.

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C M Y K

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita ZulcaNow! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

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ARIES: You are capable of forceful,decisive action, and you have the willto carry through on your intentions atthis time. Physically, you feel good andyour energy is flowing smoothly. Also,your interactions with others are feistyand spirited.TAURUS: There is much activity; youmove rapidly from one thing to anotherand a hectic, somewhat stressful paceis likely. Many errands, phone calls,letters which require a response, andother "busywork" is on the agenda.GEMINI: Positive feelings and innerharmony engender smooth and com-fortable relations with others at thistime. Your intuition or gut feelings areapt to be right on the mark.CANCER: This is a positive and fortu-nate time for business pursuits andcareer goals. Your goals and ambitionsare molded into concrete reality at thistime, and you have a vehicle for reach-ing your destination.LEO: Positive feelings and high self-confidence make this a good time togo out, meet with people, or get somerecognition and support for creativeprojects. Women in particular are es-pecially helpful to you nowVIRGO: This is a time for getting alittle loose and wild with friends, goingdancing, or doing something out of theordinary that is stimulating and fun.

LIBRA: You are quite impressionable,in fact, and can be easily talked intodoing something that you normallywould not do. You can also be de-ceived and manipulated by others.SCORPIO: You are motivated to workat resolving any ongoing problems youmay be dealing with, but you're apt tobe rather irritable and edgy now also.SAGITTARIUS: Your thoughts tendto be gloomy. There may be workahead of you because of past errorsof judgment. Or you may be soberingup after a "honeymoon" period withsomething or someone.CAPRICORN: You feel quite amorousand affectionate now and will very muchwant to share this time with someoneyou love or at least with congenial com-pany.AQUARIUS: There is much activity;you move rapidly from one thing toanother and a hectic, somewhatstressful pace is likely. Many errands,phone calls, letters which require aresponse, and other "busywork" is onthe agenda. A minor but rather tenseconfrontation is likely.PISCES: This is an excellent time toeliminate whatever is unnecessaryand outworn in your life from clutterand disorder in your environment toan unhealthy relationship or even along-held attitude.