Gangtok: Citizen Action Party visited Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party headquarters ‘proposing peace’ on Mahatma Gandhi’s 154th birth anniversary. This act by CAP members comes in the wake of an alleged attack on CAP supporters and a vehicle in Soreng town on September 29, allegedly by SKM party workers.
CAP members claimed that “vehicles clad with SKM party flags dispersed the supporters shouting slogans of SKM along with sloganeering against CAP leader Ganesh Rai.”
Following their visit to SKM party headquarters on Monday, CAP supporters gifted a white flower bouquet to SKM general secretary headquarters Pawan Gurung while offering white khadas (scarves) to other SKM members as a message of peace.
Thereafter, CAP spokesperson Mahesh Rai read out their ‘peace proposal’ in front of SKM members and the media. CAP members were then served sweets by SKM members, acknowledging the 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Following the peace greetings, CAP spokesperson Albert Gurung told the media, “Today’s visit to SKM party headquarters by CAP members is about the recent violence in Soreng against the CAP. On September 29, CAP’s All Sikkim Youth Welfare Council organised a youth meet at Soreng town. But at the very last hour, the venue changed for reasons we can’t make public. We shifted our meeting venue from Soreng town to Dodak helipad. Many people wishing to join the meet, their vehicles were stopped at Soreng town, with one vehicle being damaged by anti-social elements there. Reportedly, those involved in violence had SKM party flags in their vehicles, they were shouting slogans of the SKM party.”
Gurung highlighted how political violence had allegedly increased since SKM came to power in 2019, he stated, “People in Sikkim are aware that violent activities have increased since the SKM party came into power. No action has been taken against such miscreants, and anti-social elements behind such violence, and they have not been punished as per the law. The ruling party must maintain peace and harmony in the state.”
A day before, the CAP had held a press conference where they announced their intention to visit the SKM party headquarters. “We came up with a proposal for peace with the SKM party. Politics should be according to party principles. Here in Sikkim, that is not happening. We should not be indulging in such violence as elections are near, whatever is happening in Sikkim is very sad. Opposition parties are not getting the space to conduct meetings or campaigns. As the ruling party, it is their responsibility to give security to the opposition parties and their leaders, without opposition parties, democracy will not prevail,” said the CAP spokesperson.
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On the contrary, SKM party general secretary headquarters Pawan Gurung asserted “not having permission to speak on the issue and the same being the responsibility of the spokesperson of SKM party.”
He, however, spoke words of acknowledgment, saying, “We acknowledge the first such step taken by an opposition party. After their press conference yesterday, CAP representatives called us with the proposal to meet at our party headquarters. We welcomed them to visit, we were ready.”
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