State deputy chief minister Y Patton has expressed regret for his recent remark during an election rally in Wokha for the PDA consensus candidate. In a viral video, Patton was heard saying “let the village chairman, GB, and polling agent cast the vote for their entire village. Let the villagers go to the fields and let the village leaders handle it.”
Acknowledging the poorly-chosen words, Patton called upon everyone to participate in the electoral process during the forthcoming Parliamentary elections.
The statement sparked criticism from various quarter, particularly the Congress party, which termed it as a brazen violation of the Election Model Code of Conduct.
Reacting to the controversy and concern over his statement, Patton admitted that the statement was an ill-advised attempt at humour, told in the heat of the moment during a campaign event comprising of mostly party workers from different political partners.
He clarified that 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 population.
Patton said the jest was made in a lighter vein, which even the TV channels did not telecast and the media persons present at the venue did not choose to carry it.
“I understand that during elections every word is sensitive and how it can be misconstrued and seen as an effort to disenfranchise voters,” he admitted.
However, Patton clarified that it was absolutely not his intent, for he deeply valued the right of each and every voter to make his or her voice heard. He assured that his role and intent was to empower and enable that process, not to circumvent it.
Patton said that he respected the democratic process and the right of every citizen to cast vote, which was a cornerstone of democracy and was something that he would never seek to undermine or subvert in any way.
Cong lodges complaint
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has reportedly lodged a complaint against Patton’s remark. Informing this in a post on X, NSUI president X Chophika Sumi said “The brazenness exhibited by Mr. Patton who is the Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland says a lot about our so called leaders.”
“Also, the congregation cheering and clapping at his despicable speech says a lot about where we stand as a society. This is a serious violation of the Model Code of Conduct,” he said and hoped that the Election Commission of India and Chief Electoral Officer Nagaland take strong cognizance of the issue.
Meanwhile, Congress national spokesperson Sujata Paul also condemned the blatant violations of MCC by Patton. In her post on X, Paul asked “whether action would be taken against the deputy CM & whether the @ECISVEEP will ensure free & fair polls in Nagaland.”