Democratic norms demands peaceful atmosphere

"Election campaign requires issue, not violence"

Elections are meant in India or any other country to select people of calibre to run the government in a proper way. And to have polls in the congenial atmosphere becomes of utmost importance here. The trend that has culminated in recent times, of violence and bloodshed, attack on each other with weapons, by pelting stones and ransacking vehicles while we witness campaign trail by political outfits instead of highlighting the issues that really needs to be addressed for upliftment of the state or constituency is what people are fed up off.

Ranipool poll violence

This pre-election period both in the Himalayan state of Sikkim and the neighbouring Darjeeling parliamentary constituency, cases of violence and attack on leaders and political parties amidst them is on the rise. The democratic norm in context to voters of both the region demands a peaceful atmosphere to cast their valuable votes.

The new born debutant Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) has had clash with the veteran Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) on a number of occasions this poll season. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in Darjeeling hills claimed attack on their chief Bimal Gurung allegedly by the Trinamool Congress men.

The SKM in Sikkim has been planking change. But the approach and attitude to bring change in the state is the same old story. The politics to bring about change has the same process. If you mean to bring change for the benefit of the state, an old wine should be replaced with a new wine in a new bottle. Otherwise you are hungry for only power just to become yet another SDF in the state. 

When the GJM was born in 2007, the party similarly claimed attack from GNLF and vice versa. Later it presumably got involved in the Late Madan Tamang murder case. Tamang was killed with a sharp local weapon Khukuri under broad daylight. The dividend for the alleged act is that the GJM is still not in a position to function in a free atmosphere. Every now and then the party goes harsh on ‘Gorkhaland’ issue, Didi (Mamata Banerjee) the Bengal Chief Minister cum Trinamool chief whips down using the case against them. The people are witnessing all the events.

That who injured whom, who attacked whom is not a matter of concern for the voters. Irrespective of political colours the concern and agenda to win elections needs to be your plan and programme to achieve what you promise to the people. If you are up for change show us the sketch plan for change. If you are up for ‘Gorkhaland’ show us a sketch plan to achieve the demand.

For the voters, it’s time to focus on the issues for betterment rather than a minimum profit.

Vivek Ghatani - Editor Indian Gorkhas

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