Bhandari admits excesses by his regime

Headlines Vol. 1 Issue 38-39

Mar 7 - Mar 21 , 1999

Bhandari admits excesses by his regime

Finally, the 'strong man' of Sikkim Nar Bahadur Bhandari has admitted that there were certain excesses committed by his regime, which led to the downfall of his government in the last Assembly elections and allowed the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) come to power.

This realisation came at a meeting of the party workers at the party headquarter Sangram Bhavan and nine months before the expiary of the present Assembly.

Buoyed by the presence of party workers in large numbers and a dozen of government employees and senior members of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), who either resigned from the government jobs or the ruling party, the veteran leader said that the time was short for the party to gear up for for the forthcoming Assembly polls scheduled in November next and observed that it was for the party workers to decide whether they would like to form the government or prefer to stay in the Opposition. He asked the party members to hold regular meetings at all level from March onwards. In a word of advice to the party workers, Mr. Bhandari asked them to rise above petty squabblings for tickets and strengthen the party at the grass-root level.

Mr. Bhandari said,”Let us not miss the bus this time. For the past nine months I have gone around the Himalayan State seeking forgiveness from the people for the mistakes committed. The SDF's coming to power was a blessing in disguise to us. It is due to their follies, mismanagement and financial bankruptcy in the past years which has made it easier for us to make a comeback.”
Further pointing out the failures of the SDF Government, Mr. Bhandari alleged that the State Government has not differentiated the people coming in the range of below poverty line and above poverty line although the Centre has extended the same for public distribution system in the State. He accused the ruling party of leading this strategic Himalayan border State to an economic disaster by its mismanagement, rampant corruption and casteist politics.

The Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) supremo called upon his party workers not to repeat previous mistakes and asked them to devote themselves fully to 'wipe away the tears of the Sikkimese.'
In another move to corner the ruling SDF, Nar Bahadur Bhandari has written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner M. S. Gill accusing the SDF of 'alluring and intimidating' the Sikkimese voters from now onwards in a bid to ensure that they cast their votes only in favour of the ruling party.

Mr. Bhandari in that letter further accused the ruling SDF Government of distributing housing loans of Rs. 20,000 to its own party supporters and to those poor people who under various threats
and pressures have “succumbed to the SDF's dubious devices.”

According to Mr. Bhandari, the ruling SDF Government after completing the loan formalities was intimidating the loanees. He infored the Chief Election Commissioner that the loanees were being told that if Mr. Chamling retains power then the loan would be written off, but in case the SSP makes a comeback they (loanees) would be required to pay back the loan with interest.

Nar Bahadur Bhandari requested the CEC to ascertain the truth through its own independent and impartial agency to expose the 'political gimmick' of the ruling party.

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