Summit Report, Gangtok 29 Jan:
Citizen Action Party-Sikkim continues its debate with the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha over the Chief Minister’s announcement that an Ed Sheeran concert in Sikkim was being planned as part of the 50 Years of Statehood celebrations.
A CAP press release issued by its All Sikkim Youth Welfare Council president, TR Nepal, insists that SKM was “making desperate attempts to justify extravagance by ignoring Sikkim’s burning issues.”
It also counters SKM’s allegations against CAP on the issue as a continuance of the party’s last-ditch efforts to brand all criticism as “anti-development.”
The release stresses that the SKM attempt to equate opposition to this event as opposition to development was typical SKM tactics to divert attention from its failures.
SKM continues to demonstrate its penchant for distorting facts and prioritizing optics over real governance, the release states.
“Their attempt to justify an exorbitant Ed Sheeran concert by drawing parallels between Sikkim and metropolises like Mumbai and Ahmedabad is not only misleading but also exposes their utter disregard for the pressing issues plaguing the state,” CAP alleges.
The economic scale and infrastructure of a Mumbai or an Ahmedabad are incomparable to that of Sikkim, the release highlights.
“In contrast, Sikkim, a small Himalayan state, has an economy primarily reliant on tourism, agriculture, and government employment. To suggest that hosting an international concert in Sikkim can mirror the economic impact seen in these massive urban centers is not only naïve but a blatant attempt to mislead the people,” the release contends.
CAP alleged that the SKM’s claim that this event will generate employment and boost local businesses is “hollow rhetoric,” as the state grapples with unemployment, inadequate healthcare, and failing infrastructure.
“The Citizen Action Party has never opposed cultural events or economic growth but firmly believes that governance should be about setting the right priorities. If SKM was truly interested in economic progress, it would focus on long-term solutions such as investing in local entrepreneurs, improving tourism infrastructure, and strengthening agriculture, rather than indulging in wasteful extravagance,” the release states.
