Chief Minister PS Tamang visited the residence of former Chief Minister of Sikkim, Late BB Gurung to pay his final respects. CM also shared a condolence post through his official facebook post highlighting Gurung’s distinguished career and paying respects to the departed.
“I am deeply saddened to know about the demise of a prodigious son of Sikkim, a journalist, litterateur, veteran politician, and the third Chief Minister of Sikkim, Late Shri Bhim Bahadur Gurung at the age of 93 years,” the post read.
The post further shared that Late Gurung, born on 11 October 1929 at Chakung, West Sikkim, matriculated from St. Roberts School Darjeeling and graduated from the University of Calcutta. He served as a teacher and a staff reporter in a Calcutta-based newspaper the Amrita Bazar Patrika and he also edited the first news-based Nepali Journal of Sikkim, called Kanchenjunga. He started his political career as a member of the Sikkim Rajya Congress Party in 1947 and after a decade he was appointed as the General Secretary in 1958. In 1967, Late Gurung was elected as Executive Councillor of the Sikkim Rashtriya Congress Party and remained in the party until 1971.
Further, he was elected to the Vidhan Sabha as a candidate of the Sikkim National Congress Party and subsequently, was appointed as the speaker of the First Sikkim Legislative Assembly in 1977 and served until 1979. In May 1984, Shri Gurung was sworn in as the third Chief Minister of Sikkim. He was allied with the Sikkim National Congress Party and the Sikkim Janata Party. He also served as a Political and Press Advisor to the SDF government and in the 2014 election, he resigned and extended his support towards the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party.
“He was our guardian and he guided us through his valuable suggestions for the proliferation of our Party. I will forever remain indebted to him, and my profound regards and reverences are always there for him,” CM’s post read.
“The demise of Late Shri Gurung has deeply hurt us all and is an irreparable loss for the state. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family, relatives, and well-wishers and pray to God to grant eternal peace to the departed soul” the post added.
