Dissidence in the Ranks?
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14 June, 2004; NOW! 1 Travelling Monday, 14 June, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 72 Gangtok Rs. 3 Abroad? State Bank of India is the only Bank in Gangtok which offers... ON pg 5 Vishwa Yatra Foreign Travel Card in $ THE BRIDGE American Express Travellers THETHE BRIDGEBRIDGE Cheque in $ Currency Notes in $ OVEROVEROVER RANIRANIRANI For further details, phone Tenzing / Tashi 220616/ 222824 (Extn. 26) or KHOLAKHOLAKHOLA 9434012824 DISSIDENCE IN THE RANKS? a NOW REPORT GANGTOK, 13 June: A common The anti-Bhandari lobby in the riposte on Congress [I] in pre-poll Sikkim was that it was a party of leaders without the janata in tow. Congress has upped the tempo The drubbing it received at the bal- lot held out that this was more than the five expelled leaders made any didate for the next polls, was up for to take for anyone. Mr. Lachungpa was away in just a clever repartee to Congress’ major contributions to the trounc- the taking. It does not, however, appear Delhi when the expulsion was ef- claims of forming the government. ing. They now admit that lack of In fact, it is possibly because that the ploy worked. If anything, fected. He has laughed it off, but must In post-poll Sikkim, Cong [I]’s claim organisational strength debilitated there were so many aspirants for the it has had the reverse effect. surely be networking with the high- to having leaders is also under threat. the Congress challenge to SDF in SPCC [I] presidentship that Whether Mr. Lachungpa, an AICC command to decide his future course The five leaders, including heavy- elections 2004. “Bhandari Hatao” move never pro- member, can be expelled by a State- of action. Tseten Lepcha has reacted weight AICC member Thukchuk Then why the expulsions? gressed beyond whispered private unit remains in doubt and if Mr. sharply and dragged out enough skel- Lachungpa, expelled from the party The answer is simple. From the conversations among the State Lachungpa is not out, then he is a etons from the Congress Bhavan to on 11 June, suggest sources is only day of counting itself, disenchant- Congressmen. dangerous adversary to have. Even hint that the battle could turn ugly. a teaser of what is to come if the ment with Mr. Bhandari’s leader- Mr. Bhandari capitalised on this the expulsions of the four others Palden Bhutia remains reticent and SPCC [I] president, Nar Bahadur ship was growing in the State Con- uncertainty well. By expelling a falls in a rather grey area and none that is only expected, while Hem Lall Bhandari continues to have his way. gress. The party, because the SSP- leader of the stature of Mr. have shown any signs of taking the Bhandari, a close confidant to the Only a couple of days before the Cong “merger,” happened so close Lachungpa, he was risking much expulsion meekly. SPCC [I] president till a few days expulsions, Mr. Bhandari had an- to the elections and also because for just one gain - sending out the What Mr. Bhandari has effec- before the elections, can be expected nounced that there were six Con- many candidates were last-minute message to conspiring detractors tively done, is free his detractors of to drop a bomb any day. gressmen on the SDF payroll and imports from the ruling party, was that he could come down heavily the restraints that held them back. The Seva Dal chairperson, who sabotaged the party’s chances in never a very cohesive force anyway. on anyone. Since none of the lead- The battle is now in the open and Chewang Bhutia, had already re- the polls. Even by that count, there is The mood for a toppling bid devel- ers have an MLAship to return to, lobbying for his ouster has gained belled openly much ahead and has still one name awaited, but if some oped fast and many realised that being out of Congress was a big risk momentum. turn to pg 7 senior Congressmen are to be be- with Mr. Bhandari’s complete re- lieved, the list grows longer each day. jection, the post for the next leader There are few even in the Con- of the Opposition, and by that count gress camp who believe that any of the Congress chief ministerial can- SIKKIM TO FELICITATE ACHIEVERS GANGTOK, 13 June: The State Government has decided to felicitate emi- nent Indian Nepalese and Nepali-speaking Indians who have excelled in their respective fields and have made the nation proud with their sincere and self- less contribution. They will be felicitated at a function titled ‘Sikkim Samman Sammelan’ to be held here in Gangtok on 14 and 15 June. According to a member of the organizing committee, around seventy such people have been short-listed for the felicitation and the list has been sent to the Department of Culture, which is the nodal agency, for final approval. A final meeting of the organizing committee is also slated for tomorrow to discuss the matter, he informed. He also informed that besides various renowned dignitaries, Gopichand Narayan, Chairman, A. Sachinanda, General Secretary, Sahitya Academy, Kamaleshwar, eminent writer, Sunita Narayanan, Director, CSE, were also scheduled to attend the function as the guests of honour. INSTITUTE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT CATERING TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED NUTRITION (s/b Govt. of India and Govt. of Sikkim) TADONG, GANGTOK, SIKKIM-737 102 Ph. No.-270735, 270557 FOR CLASS X & XII STUDENTS Application are invited for admission to ONE & HALF YEARS DIPLOMA AND CRAFTSMANSHIP COURSE IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT for the academic session 2004-2005. AGE: Age of the candidate should not be more than 22 years as on 1st July 2004. For candidates belonging to SC/ST, age limited is relaxable upto 25 years. HOW TO APPLY: Application form and Prospectus can be obtained from the Institute of Hotel Management, Gangtok against cash payment of Rs. 100/- or remitting Rs. 125/- through demand draft/ Postal order in favour of INSTITUTE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT, payable at Gangtok. Application form complete in all respect should reach the institute before 10th July 2004 accompanied by Registration Fee of Rs. 300/-. IMPORTANT DATES Last date for submission of application : 10.07.2004. Admission : by 31.07.2004. Commencement of class : 16.08.2004. CMYK 2; NOW!; 14 June, 2004 ED-SPACE NOW! Of fish, generators FIRST WITH THE NEWS and ant-eaters f all the mischief that one deep in the flowing water bearing vacation in the summers and the Felicitating Heroes makes as a school boy the burden of the humming genset winters, there are standard meas- there is none that is as in- like a patient caddy. The teams of ures to hunt. If it’s the porcupine The State Government’s recent decision to felicitate achievers O viting as an escapade to the river to hangers-on [Also, those to arrange [which many swear taste better than from the hills is a welcome move. What makes the initiative swim and fish. In Kalimpong when for the petrol and sundry other liq- chicken] you smoke the burrows. even more refreshing is that it moves beyond the Sikkim hills the monsoon rains provide a new uids of diverse potency] who will If it’s the scaly anteater [which and includes hillmen from all over the country. Much as the lease of life to the numerous scour the water for fish stunned by many swear again tastes better than Himalayas are romanticised by travellers and travel-writers, its streams and jhoras that dot the hill the low intensity voltage that the chicken] you flood their under- people are reduced to stereotyped caricatures as a people who side there is a different charm about generator can muster. ground chambers. For the wild fowl are simple, hard-working and compassionate. No one takes hopping about the boulders or peer- In one such group that I accom- roosting under the tea bushes in the them seriously as achievers and this prejudice stretches to or- ing into the shallow collection of panied for an orgy of electric fish- night, it’s a torch light on their be- ganisations which celebrate achievements. Digressing a bit waters to look for tadpoles, the rare ing, I counted up to about thirty en- wildered eyes and then the swift here, let’s enumerate the casual approach of mainstream In- fish fries and the occasional long- thusiastic fish-eating individuals deadly trajectory of the catapult dia to the hills. Danny Denzongpa is an icon with the Hindi film legged jhingey macha. To do so af- who did not spare a single fish fry pebble. For the frogs industry, yet awards have been rare for him. Baichung Bhutia ter having escaped illegally from from their hungry clutches. It is al- [which many swear taste had to wait longer for an Arjuna Award than any other sports- the stifling monotony of the sum- though quite another better than anything, includ- man with similar achievements. In more recent times, the SDF mer classroom further increases the matter that by the ing chicken] it’s a flaming torch returned to Power with more than seventy per cent of the votes sense of adventure. in the night. The nocturnal amphib- and with 31 of the 32 seats in the Assembly. Anywhere else in Of course, in a sense we ians simple stare mutely at the the country, this would have resulted in the media camping in never grow up. Come a flames. All that the frog connois- the State bombarding their audience with data, graphics and strike and we find seur will have to do is pick the trivia on the event.