SIKKIM: Give two names, will give tickets: SNPP responds to SBTA
Posted by barunroy on March 21, 2009
FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS
GANGTOK, March 20: Committing to solve the Limboo Tamang seat reservation issue if voted to power, Sikkim National Peoples Party (SNPP) today assured Sikkim Tamang Buddhist Association (SBTA) to accommodate at least 2 candidates from the Tamang community.
The rider from SNPP is that SBTA should itself forward the names of the educated young candidates of the Tamang community.
If SBTA forwards at least 2 names of the educated young candidates from the Tamang community whom, the party assures, the names shall be accommodated in our final list as reiteration of our commitment to the Limboo Tamang cause, said SNPP in a press statement issued by the party president Biraj Adikhari.
It may be recalled that SBTA had recently appealed all political parties to field at least 2 candidates from the Tamang communities in the upcoming Assembly elections in the State.
SNPP has also condemned the policies of the ruling party regarding the Limboo Tamang issue and assured the two communities that the party stands by them and are committed to solving their seat reservation problem if voted to power.
Meanwhile, SNPP has also formed a 5 member parliamentary board to discuss the candidature of applicants for the upcoming elections. The members of the SNPP parliamentary board are Tseten D Lepcha, Diley N Kazi, Tikendra Sharma and ST Bhutia.
The party has also welcomed the decision by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Sikkim to allow holding of public meetings during Haat Bazaars around Sikkim.
“But the party would like to express its surprise at the fact that this permission was granted by the CEO which implies that it was banned by the Election department for the last 15 years”, said SNPP. The party questioned why the Election department of Sikkim banned the political meetings at Haat Bazaars for so long ‘when it is clear, that in a democracy, no one has the right to debar the parties from reaching out to the people with their programmes, especially during elections’.
The party is also set to conduct its second public meeting for the elections. The meet will be held at Singtam on this Sunday.
