Ganesh Rai Citizen Action Party with a call for reforms in Sikkim

BIJOY GURUNG

Countdown begins for those looting Sikkim: Ganesh

GANGTOK,: A new regional party ‘Citizen Action Party’ in Sikkim was launched on Republic Day with promises of reforms by former SDF leader Ganesh Rai at his home town Melli in South Sikkim.

Rai was announced as the chief coordinator till election is held within a month to elect the CAP president and other office-bearers. The party has already started its process for registration with the Election Commission of India.

Amidst the ruling SKM and opposition SDF which dominate the Sikkimese political landscape, the CAP has come forward with its main agenda of bringing reforms in every sector here including politics and governance. The new party is also positioning itself as political alternative for the people of Sikkim.

“Our call is for reforms in Sikkim and this can happen only through political reforms. Sikkim has regressed in every sector and we are heading towards an economic disaster. Our democratic rights are under a threat. Sikkimese people will face hardships under both SDF and SKM. We are the alternative for Sikkim and its people, The countdown has begun from today for those who are looting Sikkim,” said Rai.

As part of its political reforms stand, Rai announced that the CAP will not have its official party flag, a provision which is also allowed by the Election Commission of India. “Political party flags are the root cause of division and enmity in our villages. People are attacked and victimized based on which party flag they have in their residences. Our party will not have flags as we want to remove the politics of flags in Sikkim forever,” he said.

Another unique aspect of our party is that we will collect funds to run the party through crowdfunding, said Rai. “There will be no political sloganeering in our party, we do not want to see our youth doing only sloganeering or carrying party flags. Youth should be involved in a proactive and meaningful manner in politics,” he said.

CAP is presently the only active regional political party that does not have ‘Sikkim’ in its name.

Asked on this, Rai said: “Sikkim is in our blood and DNA. The name of a political party must give a message to the people, it should have a meaning. Considering the present situation in Sikkim, we named our party as Citizen Action Party. We are not here to try our luck, CAP has come to bring sincere reforms in Sikkim.”

Rai mentioned that the programmes and issues to be taken up by CAP will be shared to the people in coming days. Other political parties say they will protect Article 371F, we say that our CAP will fully implement the provisions of Article 371F and in doing so, if it affects any group, we will make policies to address their issues, he said.

On pending political demands of Sikkim, the CAP leader said it needs to be resolved with direct talks between the State government and the Centre. The CAP will work sincerely and make honest efforts on restoration of Nepali seats, Limboo-Tamang seat reservation and tribal status demand for the left-out communities, he said.

Rai highlighted the urgency of securing Limboo-Tamang seats before the upcoming delimitation in 2026. If the Limboo-Tamang seats are not given before 2026, the two communities will not get justice for another 10-15 years and we find the present government is not sincere on this, he said.

Rai promised a Political Reform Commission in Sikkim if CAP is elected to power.

“The commission will be a powerful independent body with its chairperson and members selected in consultation with the opposition parties. As you are aware, political parties need funds to carry out their activities but in Sikkim, it is very difficult for opposition parties to get funds. Our government will introduce cess in government works and that money will go to the commission. The commission will then allocate funds to the political parties so they can sustain and do their activities. We will make this law and be the first State in the country to do so. The commission will also have judiciary powers to act on complaints against those in power. We want to end the cruelty and suppression of people by the ruling party,” he said.

The launch of CAP culminates the Sikkim Sudhar Sankalpa Yatra undertaken by the Reform Call group led by Rai.