Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) Thursday said the 51-Noksen bye-election was a “predicament” imposed on the electorate by the “manipulative action” of CM Chang, who as sitting Lok Sabha MP got elected as MLA in February assembly elections only to resign within a fortnight to seek re-election as MLA.
In a statement, NPCC media cell while lauding the state chief electoral officer, DC & RO Tuensang, EOs and the voters of 51-Noksen A/C for smooth conduct of polling, said during the past month, state chief minister, his cabinet ministers and DAN MLAs had campaigned in Noksen promising “moon to the voters forgetting that they had ruined the state for the past decade.”
NPCC said the bye-election campaign rhetoric of DAN legislators would remain more of a “rumble without rain.”
NPCC also alleged that the Lok Sabha MP with an annual MP Local Area Development Fund (MPLAD) of Rs. 5 crores had failed to show any visible signs of “proper utilization” leading to development neither in his Constituency nor anywhere in the state.
Seeking detail clarification on the utilization of Rs. 25 crores in five years, NPCC indicated that the MP might have “saved” for his election campaign to “help” the voters of his constituency.
In the recent past, the word “bribe” has been redefined as “help” by the NPF to entice the voters in getting their candidates elected, alleged NPCC.
NPCC pointed out that the trend of electing leaders based on the amount of “help” extended reflected the “deteriorating moral standards” of the public and the same relegated major issues of welfare and development to the backburner.
Citing the example of deplorable road conditions, erratic power supply, dilapidated school infrastructures, dysfunctional health care facilities and total breakdown of law and order in the state, NPCC said the state would never see any signs of improvement unless the public raised their voice to reject the present trend of elections dictated by money power.
Stating that the public should not only complain but hold the government accountable, NPCC said with the state in precarious position on all fronts, the present DAN ministers should also question their predecessors of DAN-I and II for the mess they created instead of shifting the blame on nature or giving other flimsy reasons to cover up their ineptness.