HT interview: We did not forge any alliance, but share good ties with BJP, says Sikkim CM

A day after the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha recorded a landslide victory in the assembly elections, winning 31 of the Himalayan state’s 32 seats, party president and chief minister Prem Singh Tamang Golay told Pramod Giri in an interview why people rejected former chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling’s Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). Edited excerpts:

SDF leaders did not expect your party to win 31 of 32 seats. How was this made possible?

The Sikkimese people made this possible. They voted for the good work we did in the last five years.

How do you explain Chamling’s defeat from both seats he contested? After all, he was the chief minister for 25 years, which is a record in India.

Chamling lost because of his ego and pride. Being a seasoned politician, he should have understood the mandate in 2019. He should have left politics voluntarily instead of continuing only to serve the interests of his family. He thought he had no alternative. I firmly believe that my alternatives are already out there. In Sikkim, leaders who were defeated never made a comeback.

Our government worked hard to keep people safe during the Covid-19 lockdown and during last year’s disastrous flood in the Teesta. We delivered on our promises. We followed inclusive politics, treating everyone equally and marginalizing none. Thus, the Sikkimese people rewarded us with a second term.

With only one SDF candidate winning, your government faces no opposition in the assembly. Don’t you think this is bad for you in a democracy?

The number of opposition MLAs hardly matters. Between 2009 and 2014, when SDF controlled all 32 seats, I became an effective opposition force. I started revolting against chief minister Chamling despite being a ruling party MLA. Between 2014 and 2019, when SKM had 10 MLAs, seven of them joined SDF. Three of us proved how opposition leaders should work. Between 2019 and 2024, there were many opposition MLAs, but they rarely came to the assembly or acted like opposition leaders. We will run our government very seriously.

What is the difference between SKM’s victories in 2019 and 2024?

In 2019, we asked people to have faith in us and they believed us. In 2024, we asked people to vote for our work and they reposed their confidence in us. Over the last five years, we surpassed the development projects the SDF government carried out in 25 years.

People say that your Aama Yojana, Bahini Yojana and your student and youth-oriented policies ensured your victory. Is that true?

You can say this is the victory of Sikkim’s mothers and women. Our Aama Yojana provides annual financial support to poor and helpless mothers. Bahini Yojana provides free sanitary napkins to girl students. Our fellowship scheme provides up to ?50 lakh each to students who make it to 20 internationally recognised universities. We have given stipends to many youth without any discrimination.

Many claim that your down to earth image and habit of interacting with common people paid dividends in this election. What is your take on this?

What I am today is because of the upbringing by my parents and the culture they made me embrace. My father was a school chaprasi (peon). I grew up vending milk and worked at road construction sites as a labourer during my school holidays. Sikkimese people made me their chief minister and I should always remain indebted and grateful to them. Ego destroys. I am with zero ego.

Voters thought SKM might face pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party to form an electoral alliance but it didn’t happen. Why?

Parties like SDF, BJP and Citizen Action Party have no support base in Sikkim. This is the ground reality. We didn’t forge an alliance with anyone but we have a very good rapport with the BJP. We are also a part of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance). Our Lok Sabha MP will support NDA. We supported BJP’s Rajya Sabha candidate from Sikkim.

Your government announced so many welfare schemes and regularised more than 25,000 contractual employees. Haven’t these put a huge pressure on the exchequer of a small state?

When we came to power in 2019, the state’s economy was in bad shape. We started austerity measures and introduced financial discipline. The erstwhile government used to host parties at five-star hotels. The chief minister and his cabinet colleagues used to travel in luxury cars. I use a Mahindra Scorpio. We have foolproof plans and polices to execute all our electoral promises.

How is your relationship with the Centre?

We are a partner of NDA and we have a very good relationship with the Centre. I am confident that Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister again wining more than 400 Lok Sabha seats.