The Drujeygang-Tseza Member of Parliament Jurmi Wangchuk famous for his ‘Trans National Sexy’ and ‘DHI and FDI’ bloopers, is also known as a straight talking MP who openly speaks his mind in Parliament, without filter even.
This unique combination has built the MP a popular following on social media and he is better known than most MPs.
However, MP Jurmi Wangchuk is not a happy man these days and accuses his party the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) of playing ‘dirty politics’ with him.
His grievance is that his party announced a replacement candidate (Tashi Penjor) in his constituency without consulting him and even before the end of his term on 31st October 2023.
The MP said that he had put up his resignation to the party around two months ago and instead of accepting his resignation the party waited till the other parties filled up the Drujeygang-Tseza constituency and then only let him go.
The MP said DNT has played ‘dirty politics’ with him as they deliberately waited till the last minute to ensure he could not join any other party. He said that two parties had approached him to be their candidates and DNT taking a long time to reply had blocked his potential opportunities. He said he could have joined back with the UN or even other parties.
He said that the party at the last minute told him they found a candidate and then announced it right away.
“Though I resigned from DNT, I am technically still a member of the ruling party and DNT replaced me with a new candidate when I am still serving. I am still the sitting MP and so do they have legal right think to replace me with a new candidate? Even technically, I think it is wrong. How can there be two candidates,” he said.
He said they can have a new candidate in the waiting list but he is the MP till 31st October and moreover they do not have his consent for the new candidate.
“They thought they will take away my opportunity of joining other parties. I had got the highest votes in 2018 and instead of gratitude I get this. If politics is played like this, then it can go beyond control. They don’t know where I come from and my background. They should know I will not go quietly and they should know of the repercussions.”
The MP is peeved that DNT did not even give him a ‘face saver’ of a way out by saying he has resigned and then announcing the new candidate after his term finished.
The MP said it would have been fine if they gave him a ‘face saver’ like in the case of former minister Karma Donnen Wangdi who stepped down after losing his minister post.
He said this is double standards by the party.
The MP said that he has supported the government on issues of national concern in Parliament without fail to benefit the Tsa-Wa-Sum. He said during his Chairmanship of the Foreign Relations and Human Rights Committee he got the provision passed that decriminalized homosexuality helping the LGBTIQ community. He said he worked on the legal provisions that allow the PMO to recruit people outside the government and he facilitated the passing of the BIMSTEC Charter.
He said he has also done a lot for the party and he did not want to come out like this, but the party has left no choice in the way they treated him. He said when the party treated him like this they could do the same to others.
The DNT General Secretary Phurba said that when MP Jurmi put up his resignation to him he responded immediately to the MP saying he would discuss the matter with the party President and get back to him.
However, the Secretary General Phurba said that the MP later sent him a message saying he has reconsidered and will contest from DNT.
The SG said after the letter of resignation, the party had already started looking for a candidate to replace the MP. He said the party had said before that all MPs can recontest and nobody would be replaced unless they want to resign.
Even though the MP had sent a message withdrawing his resignation the SG said that the fear of the party was since he is already unsure, what would happen if he withdrew at the last minute leaving 46 candidates and thus disqualifying the party.
The example of what happened to BKP in 2013 was in the back of the mind of the party.
On the legality of announcing a replacement candidate even when the MP is still in office the SG said MP Jurmi is still their MP and the candidate being declared is for the future 2023 to 2024 elections.
He gave the example of other MPs like Ganesh Ghimiray (Phuentshopelri Samtse), Dil Maya Rai (Tashichhoeling) and Kinley Wangchuk (Athang-Thedtsho) who have all resigned too.
In response to this, MP Jurmi said he had submitted his resignation two months ago and if the party was looking for another candidate they should have let him know and let him go.
He said they left him hanging as other parties who had approached him filled up the Drujeygang-Tseza constituency.
“When DNT was not getting back on my resignation I told them I will contest and there was again no response, and so I thought that it had been accepted and so I even attended every party meeting. However, at the last minute they announced they have a new Drujeygang-Tseza constituency candidate and that left me stunned,” said the MP.
He said the reason given by the SG that the party thought he will withdraw at the last minute is a lame excuse as one cannot withdraw after getting registered as a candidate after 31st October 2023.
He pointed out that even till date he has not received a written approval or rejection of his resignation letter.