SDF hits back at Madhav for his caustic remarks on Chamling

The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) today hit back at senior BJP leader Ram Madhav for his caustic remarks on the Pawan Chamling government and the ruling party.
"BJP leader (Ram Madhav) should know that Chamling is the senior-most Chief Minister whom the people of Sikkim have elected to power for four consecutive terms," SDF spokesperson Bhim Dahal said in statement.
Under Chamling's able leadership, Sikkim remains the most peaceful state of the country and has done well on various parameters of development and welfare, he said.
In view of these facts, by mocking the SDF as the 'Sikkim Dictatorial Party', Madhav has "insulted" the people and their mandate to the premier regional party of the state, Dahal said.

Slamming Madhav for his 'uncalled for' outburst against Sikkim's ruling party, the SDF spokesman reminded the senior BJP leader that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lavished fulsome praise on Chamling during his Sikkim visit last year.
Dahal also hit out at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for not approving four outstanding demands of Sikkim - grant of ST status to 13 castes, reservation of seats for tribal Limboo and Tamang in the state legislature, income tax exemption to traders settled in Sikkim for generations and permission to Buddhist spiritual leader Karmapa Ugen Thinley to visit Sikkim.

The senior SDF leader asked BJP to refrain from indulging in rhetorics and come up with a substantive policy about socio-economic development of Sikkim if it nurses political ambition in the hill state.

Ram Madhav, the BJP national general secretary and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir and North-East, had yesterday dubbed Chamlings party as the "Sikkim Dictatorial Front" (SDF) and said that the BJP and other regional parties will strive to give a strong alternative to the ruling dispensation in the next assembly polls in 2019.
"The SDF is Sikkim Dictatorial Front (SDF) actually," Madhav had said and charged "Chamlings party with terrorising the opposition parties by using all means to prevent creation of a strong alternative to it."
"We have found good governance lacking in Sikkim... there is also a lot of corruption even as development is also lacking," Madhav had said.

The senior BJP leader had also held closed door meeting with the Chamlings estranged younger brother and Independent MLA R N Chamling.