Dimapur, March 5 (EMN): Students of law have informed about having launched a state-wide campaign for “fair elections” with the objective to ensuring that “illegal means and corrupt practices” are stopped especially with the state assembly elections approaching.
The Nagaland Law Students’ Federation (NLSF) issued a press release on Sunday giving updates about said event with pointed denouncement of Naga politicians and corruption in the government and state.
The Nagaland Law Students’ Federation (NLSF) launched the campaign on February 2 in Kohima town “for the conduct of ‘fair election’ in the state.”
The event was launched by the president of the Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) Kezhokhoto Savi, the organisers informed.
The president of the federation, Imliben Lemtur said during the event that the NLSF will be conducting ‘awareness campaigns’ to ensure “conduct of ‘fair election’” starting from the villages. The campaign will be conducted in collaboration with village councils “as the conduct of fair election has to start from the grassroots,” the group explained.
“With great concern for a better society and a brighter future for the generation the illegal means and corrupt practices has to be stopped in the process of the conduct of elections be at the village level or state level,” the NLSF stated in the press release.
The organisation observed that in Nagaland, the root cause of corruption during elections, especially during the assembly elections, are when contesting political candidates spend “huge money” besides “the illegal / unfair means of practices such as buying or selling votes, threatening, rich people sponsor candidate financially so as to make money in future if voted to power, huge supply of liquor.”
The students’ group also mentioned “church leaders involves in campaign, booth capturing, proxy voting, government employees involves in campaign with government vehicles, community not allowing the citizens/voters to vote freely/fairly, etc.”
After launching the campaign, Kezhokhoto Savi addressed the students appreciating what it called the “timely mission to be conducted by NLSF with the theme – ‘One man one Vote’.” Working toward “fair elections” will depend on every eligible citizen. Every citizen has the right to vote; it is one’s ‘birthright,’ the NVCO leader explained.
“The time has come for every citizen to realise that one’s vote decides the fate of five years and beyond. It is important to vote for a candidate who has genuine concern for public; honest, qualified, competent; bearing strong moral responsibility ready to sacrifice on moral ground and a candidate of having integrity, etc,” the press release quoted him as having said.
Why Nagaland govt and politicians fear the Lokayukta
“We need a legislator who is people friendly and ready to sacrifice for corrupt-free, works against corruption not only in words but in deeds such as setting up of Lokayukta in the state...” the NVCO leader said.
Declaring that the state’s government does not want to establish Lokayukta in Nagaland, the speaker said that the reluctance ‘simply means that they encourage more corrupt practices...” The government does not want to allow the Lokayukta to check them, the statement said.
The statement criticized the state government and Naga politicians: “Several of them are very much aware that they would be arrested or punish on several corrupt practices including the ‘disproportionate asset of properties’. The present legislators had clearly demonstrated their thirst of power and greed for money by creating divisions amongst themselves, fighting for the post of chief minister, fighting for minister berth / parliamentary secretary / portfolio, camping in Kaziranga, Sovima, hotels, etc. just for selfishness at the cause of public welfare / services.”
However, the speaker explained that ‘We as voters have to realise that we are also responsible for the kind of present government as we have contributed by taking part in the conduct of election by an illegal means.’
The people are the ones who had elected them “to ruin us such as backdoor appointment, several scams including kerosene, food (PDS under National Food Security Act), huge appointment against no sanction of post which seriously affects the state exchequer, illegally retaining the illegal appointment, nepotism, delay payment of salary for several months, favouritism, corruption, wrong diversion of public funds meant for development, etc.”
Kezhokhoto Savi said further that so-called “commissions” such as “minister / secretary, party fund” are deducted from all public and projects–these funds are meant for infrastructural development of the public. “...this illegal deduction is going to be more as our legislators prepares for the forth coming state general assembly election to be held in early 2018,” the statement quoted the address.
Savi has challenged citizens with the word that they can bring about a corruption-free government “in this democratic system of government but this is possible only when the conduct of election is ‘clean’ and the best opportunity would be the forth coming state general assembly election.”
