Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling dangles 'crorepati' dream

GANGTOK: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has promised to make every Sikkimese a 'crorepati' if he or she votes for his Sikkim Democratic Front in the April 12 Lok Sabha election, inviting criticism from his opponents.

"We will work diligently in the coming days to make every Sikkimese a crorepati in our future role," claims the manifesto of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front ( SDF).

At Rs1,42,625 in 2012-13, the per capita income of the land-locked Himalayan state is among the highest in the country and way ahead of the national average.

SDF leaders claim that if voted to power for the fifth time in a row, the Government will now aim to take the per capita income to a staggering Rs one crore.

"It is because of our continuous development work that the State has done well economically. Now we have a vision to make Sikkim financially secure and independent in the near future," SDF spokesperson Bhim Dahal said.

Political opponents, however, say that the 'crorepati' dream is nothing less than utopian.

"Their party leaders have become crorepatis as they are neck-deep in corruption. The government did not allow the CBI to enquire against Chamling's assets 2-3 years ago when there was a complaint against him," Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) general secretary Jacob Khaling alleged.

He pointed out that since the outgoing Assembly has no opposition member, there was no check and balance in the functioning of the government. SDF had won all 32 Assembly seats in the last election.

Former Sikkim Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari also laughs at the 'crorepati' dream.

"It is funny that they are claiming such things. Chamling is so much into corruption that once he loses power he will go to jail. He has stopped the CBI from enquiring against him. After he is out of power, nothing will stop the CBI from enquiring into his unaccounted assets," Bhandari charged.