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KOHIMA — Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland, Y Patton, has issued a statement addressing the recent controversy over his speech at an election rally on April 5.
In a clip circulated on several social media platforms, Patton was videographed saying that chairmen, gaonburas, and voting agents should cast all the votes and the villagers should be sent to the fields.
The viral video clip, taken during the People’s Democratic Alliance’s campaign rally in Wokha, caused uproar among social media users, including the Nagaland Congress, which termed it a “blatant violation of the model code of conduct (MCC).”
In a press release on Sunday, Patton, who is also the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party, categorically stated that he respects the democratic process and the right of every citizen to cast their own vote.
“That is a fundamental cornerstone of our great democracy, and it is something I would never seek to undermine or subvert in any way,” he asserted.
Patton said that his statement was an ill-advised attempt at humour, told in the heat of the moment during a campaign event comprising mostly party workers from different political partners.
“It was not meant to be taken literally, but rather as a tongue-in-cheek remark about the sometimes burdensome nature of the election process for rural populations,” he clarified.
Maintaining that the jest was made in a lighter vein and that “even those TV channels did not telecast it and press people present there did not choose to carry it,” he noted that “during elections every word is sensitive.”
He acknowledged that words can be misconstrued and seen as an effort to disenfranchise voters, and asserted that that was not his intent.
“My role and intent is to empower and enable that (democratic) process, not to circumvent it. I do regret the utterances of poorly-chosen words and further call upon each and everyone to take part in the electoral process during this forthcoming Parliamentary election,” he added.
Blatant MCC violation— Congress
Meanwhile, the Nagaland Congress shared the video clip on its social media handles, expressing dismay at Patton’s speech.
Stating that it was shocked to see such blatant violation of MCC coming from someone of his stature, the party stated on X (formerly Twitter) that it would be formally filing an MCC violation complaint with the Election Commission.
Sources within the Congress confirmed to Eastern Mirror on Sunday evening that a decision regarding the complaint would be made on Monday.
When contacted, an election official informed this newspaper that if any political party comes forward to report such a breach of the MCC protocol, the issue will be thoroughly investigated.