Gangtok: Former Urban Development Minister Arun Kumar Upreti filed the nomination for the post of Speaker of Sikkim Legislative Assembly on Sunday.
The post of the speaker was vacant after former Speaker LB Das tendered his resignation on August 16. Upreti, an MLA of the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) party in Sikkim, resigned as minister on August 19.
On Sunday, Upreti was joined by Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay, former speaker LB Das, deputy speaker Sangay Lepcha, the cabinet of ministers, and legislators from both SKM and BJP at Sikkim Legislative Assembly premises.
Upreti’s nomination was proposed by Rural Development Minister Sonam Lama and seconded by Soreng-Chakung constituency legislator Aditya Golay. Upreti submitted the nomination papers before Sikkim Legislative Assembly Secretary Gopal P. Dahal in the presence of Deputy speaker Sangay Lepcha.
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The Sixth Session (Part-II) of the Tenth Legislative Assembly is scheduled to meet on August 22 from 11:00 a.m at Sikkim Legislative Assembly Hall, and the election for the post will be in accordance with rule 7 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.
“As a speaker, I will work in an unbiased manner, I will not see party affiliation, I will be treating all as equal. Whatever position the party wishes to give me, I will work with all my heart. I will try to excel in my work and I am confident. This is an internal matter of the party, it is the decision of the party hence I have resigned as the UDHD Minister. Who becomes the next UDHD minister is the prerogative of the CM. Even after swearing in, who gets which department is his prerogative which I cannot comment upon. But when I am an elected legislator, I belong to a certain party. But it is not merely that I represent the party, inside the party, there are many firebrand party workers, hence the party need not worry about me being unbiased,” Upreti told media.
On Arun Upreti’s filing nomination for the Speaker of the Assembly, CM Golay stated, “It is a big promotion for him, as speaker of the Assembly is a respectable designation. It is an understanding within the SKM party. Upreti accepted the party’s decision, he is a loyal soldier of the party, he is my right hand, he is my brother, and to make him the speaker of the assembly is a happy moment for me. He will not merely a speaker but also the legislator of the constituency (Arithang). He can work for his constituency as well as for the party. His new position will be beneficial for the party. People in Sikkim think that the designation of a speaker is a demotion, but it’s not.”
On being asked who the next Urban Development Minister will be, Golay said, “The next urban development minister will be decided on August 25.”
On being asked if LB Das will become the next Urban Development Minister, Golay said, “We are making LB Das a minister largely because he is representative of the scheduled caste community, so we wanted someone from the community to also be a minister. Whether LB Das will become Urban Development Minister or not, the state will come to know on August 25.”
CM Golay denied the cabinet shuffle to be a major political development. He stated, “This is not a major political development, it’s an internal matter with thorough discussion. Sometimes a different legislator from a different constituency can become a minister. Our former Legislative Assembly Speaker LB Das who was elected from the reserved schedule caste constituency, to give them justice and in understanding, we are giving him a chance to become a part of the cabinet of ministers, we have taken this decision. There is no pressure, neither from the former speaker that he needs to be made a minister, there is nothing as such. It’s a family and there are shared responsibilities, hence former speaker was made to resign from his post. Now for the post of Speaker we have nominated former Urban Development Minister Arun Upreti. He has filed his nomination today. There will be voting that will follow (August 22). We do not feel it to be a major political development. It is both individualistic as well common in every other state government. Sometimes those from the party come as ministers and those ministers come to work for the party.”
On rumours of BJP legislators also getting a cabinet berth, Golay stated, “There is no pressure from the BJP party, both SKM and BJP party are in alliance, we are one. This is neither the SKM government nor it BJP government, it is the government of the people. There is no suppression from BJP, we have legislators from the BJP alongside us here today (Sikkim Legislative Assembly premises). The cabinet shuffle is happening for the first time, but it is also an exhibition of good understanding between SKM and BJP. The speculation of pressure from the BJP is only an estimation of the market, we are working with the central government and the BJP. It is a mutual understanding and based on which Arun Upreti has filed his nomination for Speaker of the Assembly.
On speculation that SKM is an unstable government currently, Golay stated, “There are some who are suggesting that we are an unstable government and that there is something brewing, but these speculations are ripe among those who didn’t form the government. We are not affected by it. The people know whether it is an unstable government or not, that people know very well. Even in 2019, they were of the view that in 3 to 6 months the government will topple. While they (opposition) were saying all that, we have completed three years of governance. We are serving the people and to think we are unstable is a pipe dream. There is nothing unstable and it is an internal matter with understanding. For those coming from the party, there is no guarantee or mention that a legislator has to be a Minister. They have come with the intention of serving the people, either as Minister or legislator, they must fulfil this responsibility.”
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