Every child will have the right to sports and the government will provide sports infrastructure if Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) comes in power in the Himalayan state, former India football captain and working president of the party, Bhaichung Bhutia announced in Gangtok on Sunday while releasing the party’s manifesto.
He also promised waiving farmers’ loan of Rs 210 crore, free electricity for rural areas and said that none with any criminal cases will be given tickets by his party.
HSP which was launched in June 2018 will contest all 32 assembly seats and the lone Lok Sabha seat, Bhutia said.
“Right to Sports Act, along with farmers’ loan waiver, free electricity to rural areas and CBI’s entry in Sikkim would figure prominently if the HSP comes to power,” Bhutia said on Sunday.
Neither any state government in India nor the Union government acknowledges the right to sports.
Bhutia said that the Right to Sports Act would help address the issue of high suicide rate in the tiny Himalayan state. There will be special chapters on sports in school curriculum, he announced.
Dr Bina Basnet the president of HSP who was also present at the release of the manifesto, said, “We will revamp the education system and focus on inculcating positive habits among children by making sports compulsory. Sikkim has one of the highest suicide rates in the country and the state government has miserably failed to combat it. This can be done by engaging the children and youth compulsorily in sports, meditation and spirituality.”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Bina Basnet the president of HSP who was also present at the release of the manifesto, said, “We will revamp the education system and focus on inculcating positive habits among children by making sports compulsory. Sikkim has one of the highest suicide rates in the country and the state government has miserably failed to combat it. This can be done by engaging the children and youth compulsorily in sports, meditation and spirituality.”
{{/usCountry}}The HSP faces a herculean challenge to unseat Pawan Chamling who is the country’s longest-serving chief minister and has been in power since 1994. Chamling also heads the Sikkim Democratic Party (SDF).
Bhutia also took on Chamling for a 2010 notification mandating the CBI to take the government’s prior permission before initiating an investigation in the state.
“The Pawan Chamling government has issued a notification not to allow the CBI’s entry in the state. We will invite the CBI to the state to investigate all political leaders if the HSP comes to power,” Bhutia said.
Bhutia started his second political innings from May 31 last year when he formally launched the HSP.
He had unsuccessfully contested 2014 Lok Sabha election from Darjeeling and 2016 assembly election from Siliguri in West Bengal on Trinamool Congress tickets.