Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang made his foray into politics in 1994 at the age of 25 after quitting his job as a government schoolteacher. Since then Tamang, popularly known as PS Golay, has never looked back.
Tamang entered the Assembly that year, winning on a Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) ticket from the Soreng-Chakung Assembly seat. Between 1994 and 2009, he was a minister in Sikkim and held important portfolios such as Animal Husbandry, Building and Housing, Ecclesiastical, and Industry. He broke away from the SDF and floated the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in 2013 and the following year, he was one of the 10 MLAs to be elected on an SKM ticket. Five years later, Tamang ended his former party’s two-and-a-half-decade rule, with the SKM winning 17 of the state’s 32 constituencies.
On a day the SKM, which is a part of the BJP-led NDA stormed back to power by winning 31 seats, Tamang speaks to The Indian Express about the reasons for his party’s victory and the road ahead.
Excerpts:
What helped your party get re-elected?
Good governance, welfare schemes in the past five years, and our dreams for a better state in the coming years.
What was your government’s biggest achievement?
Despite the setbacks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the floods last year, we introduced new schemes and worked in the health, social, and education sectors. We initiated several programs for our mothers and sisters. Our Bahini Scheme, aimed at reducing the dropout rates of female students due to a lack of availability and accessibility of sanitary napkins has been a hit. Thousands of girls in classes 9 and above were provided free sanitary napkins under the scheme.
Last year, we launched the Aama Yojana to equip unemployed mothers from economically backward sections with annual financial assistance of Rs 40,000 and provide stipends to poor students. These schemes were appreciated. The people have faith in us and trust us and our commitment towards their welfare.
What will be your focus in the next five years?
My focus is BiPaSa: Bijli, Paani and Sadak. We have to work towards these to ensure the state is well-connected and people have amenities to lead better lives. We will also focus on improving the tourism sector.
Do you agree with the view that Sikkim’s politics is caught up in freebies while a single leader is being projected, with no major attempts to bring the youth into politics? Also, there seem to be no significant initiatives to provide the youth with diverse job opportunities…
This is not true. In fact, we launched a creative scheme. For instance, anyone unemployed helps promote government schemes and increases their reach, even by making reels, and we pay them for it. Around 75,000 people have benefited from this. We also have regularized contractual government staff. Our schemes in the tourism sector are aimed at providing jobs to the youth.
You are a young CM of a state whose 56% of the population is made up of the youth. What are your dreams for them?
We have already taken steps such as ‘one entrepreneur per family’ which we will improve on now. We are also providing financial assistance for new entrepreneurs that will help them be self-reliant. We have been handholding them right from their school days.
Former CM Pawan Kumar Chamling has alleged that Article 371F, which guarantees special provisions for Sikkim, was violated during your tenure. How are you reassuring people, especially in the backdrop of the abrogation of Article 370 and the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act, which your MP voted against in Parliament?
Chamling sahab has made an utterly baseless allegation. Article 371F was not and can never be diluted. It was included in the Constitution to ensure our state’s distinct identity and cultural heritage are protected and preserved. If any provision under this Article has to be amended, it has to be taken to both Houses of Parliament. It was a political move. Neither the youth nor the educated class or intellectuals took it seriously. The people knew that Chamling sahab was lying.
Your party is a BJP ally but you contested the elections separately. How do you see your ties with the BJP now and in the future?
We are a part of the BJP-led NDA. We contested separately keeping in view the political scenario and equations in the state. However, we did not have any fierce contest as we are still a part of the NDA. We did not fight as an alliance even in 2019 but the Rajya Sabha seat was given to the BJP this year. Our support for the BJP is only at the Centre.
You lead a regional party. What is the future of such parties at a time when the BJP is expanding its footprint in many areas that were previously dominated by smaller parties?
This is not true. To say that the BJP is damaging regional parties is wrong as whichever outfit is strong and popular continues to grow despite the BJP’s rise. The BJP does not work to finish off regional parties forcefully. You should see how the BJP has worked for the Northeast by joining forces with regional outfits. The region has started to see development after 2014.
Did the Manipur conflict have any impact in Sikkim? Do you think the BJP has handled it well?
It (the ethnic conflict in Manipur) is not a new issue and such incidents occurred during the Congress government’s tenure too. It is a sentimental issue but nothing related to Sikkim.