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06 April, 2004; NOW! 1 Bharat Sanchar Tuesday, 06 April, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 10 Gangtok Rs. 3 Air-Conditioned Nigam Ltd. a Govt. of India enterprise Grocery Shop Office of the General Manager Telecom for Provisional Goods, Dry Gangtok : Sikkim Fruits & All Hotel NOTICE Requirements (for kitchen) WHOLE-SALES All BSNL subscribers are hereby informed that all tel- RETAIL-SALES ephone numbers in Gangtok at the most reasonable prices beginning 222, 223, 224 and 225 are being changed in a phased manner to now be- gin 20, ie is the second Rajdeep number of these phones will Spectrum Color Lab Building, Near Amar/ henceforth be “0.” Chaman Garage, Sevoke Road, Siliguri ph: 2640799, 2640599 MORE SUPRISES IN SDF’S FINAL LIST HAND-PICKED TO DRIVE SDF BACK TO POWER CHAKUNG GETS GOLEY BACK NAKUL TEAM SDF RAI BAGS LOK SABHA TICKET FIVE LOK SABHA: Nakul Rai CENTRAL/ EAST PENDAM: Somnath Poudyal MINISTERS, 5 MLAs DROPPED Sonam Dorjee. DAMTHANG: Pawan Chamling REGU: Karna Bdr. Chamling a NOW REPORT Contrary to claims by senior YOKSUM: Kalawati Subba PATHING: Mingma Tsh. Sherpa GANGTOK, 05 April: The final party leaders that the first list was TASHIDING: DN Takarpa SANG-MARTAM: Dorjee Tsh. Lepcha list of the Sikkim Democratic Front final, one change, which snow- candidates for the upcoming simul- balled to affect the political futures GEYZING: Sher Bdr. Subedi RAKDONG-TINTEK: Norzang Lepcha taneous polls was released today as of two others, was effected. PS DENTAM: Deepak Kr. Gurung LACHEN MAGSHILA: Hishey Lachungpa expected. Although rumours of what Tamang [Goley], was reverted to it contained had started floating Chakung, replacing Bina Rai, HEE-BERMIOK: Narendra Kr. Subba KABI-TINGDA: Thinley Tsh. Bhutia from early morning, it was not until whose candidature had been an- RINCHENPONG: Dawcho Lepcha RHENOCK: Bhim Dhungel way past noon, that the official list nounced earlier. She has been CHAKUNG: Prem Singh Tamang ASSAM-LINGZEY: Kunga Zangpo Bhutia substantiated several of the rumours. dropped from the list of candidates. The list came with many surprises. Replacing Mr. Tamang at Central SORENG: Ram Bdr. Subba LOOSING-PACHEYKHANI: Manita Manger Five ministers and five MLAs Pendam is Somnath Poudyal. DARAMDIN: Ran Bdr. Subba GANGTOK: NK Pradhan have been dropped by the party and It might be recalled that a huge including, the Lok Sabha candidate, delegation of Chakung voters had JORETHANG-NAYA BAZAR: KN Rai RANKA: Nimthit Lepcha SDF is offering eleven new faces rolled into Gangtok to claim Mr. RALANG: Dorjee Dezum Bhutia RUMTEK: Menlom Lepcha to the voters of Sikkim. Tamang as their rightful candidate The ministers dropped are Thutob on 31 March. Party-insiders reveal WOK: Chandra Bdr. Karki KHAMDONG: DM Ramudamu Bhutia, CK Mohra, Tseten Lepcha, that more than the show of strength, MELLI: Girish Chandra Rai RATEYPANI-WEST PENDAM: AS Baraily OT Lepcha and KT Gyaltsen. The rul- it was Mr. Tamang’s influence in TEMI-TARKU: Garja Man Gurung DZONGU: Sonam Gyatso Lepcha ing party MLAs ignored this time more constituencies than just around are Tulsi Pradhan, Bhojraj Rai, Chakung that convinced the party First-timers shaded in grey Gopal Lamichaney, JK Bhandari and turn to pg 7 Cong accomodates dissident SDF leaders EDUCATION presents It’s where your future is DB GURUNG, SHERHANG BAG Level 1 : Diploma in IT foundation Level 2 : Hon’s Diploma in Web programming Level 3 : Advanced Diploma in Solutions Architect CONGRESS TICKETS Level 4 : Master’s Diploma in Software Expertise Media Coordinator, SPCC [I], many since the activities which trig- a NOW REPORT Near Krishi Bhavan, Tadong, Gangtok. ph: 270876 BP Bajgain confirmed that former gered the expulsions came when Below Power Deptt., Kazi Road, Gangtok. ph: 227917 GANGTOK, 05 April: Politics is Deputy Speaker, DB Gurung, and the two were overlooked in the SDF Nayuma Building, Main Bazar, Namchi. ph: 263919 definitely not about permanence. former Chairman, Sherhang Subba ticket-distribution process. Pandey Colony, Geyzing. ph: 251187 There are no permanent allies or [expelled from the SDF on 02 While Mr. Subba steps in uncon- email: [email protected] website: www.ssi-education.com enemies. The ruling party effected April], called on the Sikkim tested domain within the Congress, JOB PLACEMENT ON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION adjustments in it’s list of candidates Pradesh Congress Committee [I] Mr. Gurung has spiked the chances within a week of claiming that it president, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, of former Power Secretary and Con- was final and barely days after a at his Ranipool residence today and gress leader, LP Tewari, who has senior Congressman said that dis- joined the party. been cultivating the Geyzing con- HONG KONG sident SDF leaders could join Con- With the joining, they were also stituency for quite some time. While gress but not expect tickets, two awarded Congress tickets. While Mr. Gurung goes up against SDF’s SDF leaders, expelled for alleged Mr. Gurung will contest on a Con- sitting MLA and minister in the out- BAZAAR “anti-party” activities, not only gress ticket from Geyzing, Mr. going government, SB Subedi, Mr. joined the Congress, but also won Subba wins the ticket for Dentam. Subba has NK Subba of the SDF to Any Item Rs. 90 to Rs. 150 a Congress ticket each. The news has not surprised contend with. FIRST Gift Items, Crockery & Other TIME IN Mingma Sherpa impresses Pathing Bharat Tenzing Chettri unhappy with SIKKIM GM Gurung’s candidature, offers to Attractive Goods! voters with his easy charm contest as an Independent INSIDE DETAILS ON pg 4 DETAILS ON pg 7 HOTEL BAYUL, MG MARG, GANGTOK CMYK 2; NOW!; 06 April, 2004 ED-SPACE THE VOTE NOTES NOW! perceptive journalist of a stabilising influence in the hills and political leanings, and hence can FIRST WITH THE NEWS local paper once com it was game set and match for the afford to observe the spectacle from Amented on the paradigm GNLF. This, of course, is not to say the vantage point of supreme de- The Sangram Continues shift that the spin-doctors of the that they did anything other politi- tachment. A few observations GNLF had brought about in the lo- cal parties had not done before therefore are in order. Members of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad seem to take the cal political scenario. He wrote that them or would not do given either Like in the rest of the country party name too seriously. They are constantly in a state of there was a time when political par- the chance or the political acumen. politicians here too are a much-ma- Sangram. Had this sense of agitation been directed outwards, ties fought elections on the basis of The fact of the matter is that for ligned tribe. They are either fawned as it was in 1984 when it was formed and then again in 1999 promises that they would make to a long time the opposition was to a upon or ignored, with very few when it performed well at the polls, one would have seen a much solve voter problems such as un- large extent invisible, busy as they willing to look at them with the se- better Opposition party in Sikkim in the past five years. The party, employment, lack of drink- were in inter- riousness that some deserve. But in however, appears to have turned the mirror inwards and directed ing water etc. necine squab- one perceptible way, there is trend all the flak and aggression to its own office bearers. First, Mr. The GNLF turned this bles. This time here that is different from Bhandari opted for mercy killing by merging the party with the on the head by evolving the rest of the country. Congress. But even before the new signboards at Congress a stratagem in which While magazines like the Bhavan had dried, Rajendra Upreti and some others picked on they went a step ahead. Time can feature the likes a technicality and knocked out Mr. Bhandari’s claims of a merger. They enlightened the of businessmen turned And now we have DB Basnet and his ilk claiming to have booted public on what actually politicians such as Vijay out Mr. Upreti and his clique for hobnobbing with the SDF and their problems were. Issues such Mallya, in Kalimpong we for anti-party activities. Mr. Upreti of course has countered with as the 6th schedule, no man’s land have seen the season of the claim that Mr. Basnet resigned from SSP some time back etc were purported as being the real politician-turned-busi- and thus has no legal authority to make such expulsions. But problems that the people faced and too things do not appear to be very nessmen. Of course, there’s noth- these are political arguments and can stretch forever. The audi- the party was seen to be the only different. The power equations ing wrong in being unwilling to put ence is more concerned about what the party is going through. agency that would bring about a seem to have the same operating all your eggs in one basket. And SSP truly heralded the arrival of the regional party in Sikkim. It semblance of order in the mad variables. The intrigues have started also there isn’t much that is differ- spoke local concerns and raised regional issues through the house of issues that the hills had to engage the public mind and the ent from engaging in the business fourteen-odd years that it was in power. But like most other re- become. political specimen’s imagination. of politics to well, just business. As gional parties, it started disintegrating the moment it was up- In a sense this was a master- Things get murkier by the day with somebody said, while in a democ- staged.