"Difficult times demand unity": Former Sikkim CM rallies SDF cadres in Namchi, accuses defectors of opportunism

Amid a wave of high-profile defections that has shaken the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), former chief minister and party president Pawan Kumar Chamling on Saturday, February 7, issued a firm call for unity, urging party cadres to stand together as the organisation navigates one of the most challenging phases in its history.

Addressing SDF workers at Namchi following a coordination committee meeting, Chamling said difficult political circumstances demand collective resolve and discipline from party members. Stressing the need for cohesion at the grassroots, he asserted that unity alone would enable the party to withstand current setbacks and rebuild its strength.

Taking a sharp swipe at leaders who recently quit the party, the five-term former chief minister described the defectors as “opportunists” who, he alleged, gave in to inducements at a time when the SDF has been struggling electorally after successive defeats in the state Assembly polls since 2019. Chamling maintained that political adversity often exposes the true commitment of individuals to a party’s ideology and values.

Despite the exodus, the 75-year-old SDF supremo struck a note of confidence, stating that the party would endure the present turmoil and continue to serve the people of Sikkim in every possible way. He reiterated his faith in the party’s cadre base and its long-standing connect with the electorate.

The SDF has recently witnessed the resignation of dozens of senior leaders, including two-term Rajya Sabha MP Hishey Lachungpa and several former ministers, many of whom have joined the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) led by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, further intensifying the political churn in the state.