Home minister, Y. Patton has refuted the allegation levelled against him for taking the name of former NLA Speaker and NPF MLA, late Kiyanilie Peseyie in his speech during the ‘Lao Ong Mo’ festival in Mon on September 29.
In a statement, Patton said he was deeply hurt by the wild allegation made by Wango Konyak and Yanlong Konyak, saying it was nothing but a deliberate attempt not only to tarnish his political integrity but also an attempt to create misunderstanding among the communities. “It is also a character assassination and criminal in nature,” he added.
Patton clarified that he had never uttered the name of the late leader Kiyanilie Peseyie, throughout his brief speech. Patton said he “truly and honestly felt what our Angamis in general and the Angamis of 8 Western Angami Assembly Constituency, in particular, must have been hurt by the wild allegation made by Wango Konyak and Yanlong Konyak of Mon.”
Patton declared that he was not only ready to resign as minister, but also to give up his political career “if they (Wango Konyak and Yanlong Konyak) can prove” that he had uttered late Kiyanilie Peseyie’s name during his speech.
Patton said if the duo cannot prove that he uttered late Kiyanilie Peseyie’s name, they would have to tender a public apology. “If they fail to tender a public apology for their wild allegation against me, I have no option but to file a defamation suit against them in the court of law,” he stated.
Patton said before leaving for Mon along with chief minister, T.R. Zeliang to grace the festival, he even attended the funeral service of the late leader Kiyanilie Peseyie at his private residence at Half-Nagarjan. “I had even conveyed my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members of our late leader and to me, his untimely demise made me so painful as I always looked up to him as my own elder brother and never called him by name except calling “kokai,” because my association with him went back to the 1980s when he was in the service,” said Patton.
NPF M&PB reacts
NPF Media and Press Bureau (M&PB) has hit out at Home minister, Y. Patton for his alleged speech over the demise of Kiyanilie Peseyie while addressing the ‘Lao Ong Mo’ festival at Mon. NPF alleged that Patton’s speech was in bad taste, “inconsiderate of the sentiments of the grieving family members and unbecoming of a legislator who had been associated with the departed leader for nearly ten years.”
“It is unthinkable that a politician would use the death of another to score brownie political points, and is in total contravention of the ethos of the Naga people who have the highest of respects for the dead,” the M&PB stated.
Furthermore, M&PB said converting one of the premier festivals of the Konyak Nagas into a political rally was uncalled for and most unfortunate, terming it “as an insult to the organizers and the people who were gathered there to celebrate a traditional festival without any political bias or favour.”
Meanwhile, M&PB alleged that the content of his speech, “as edited and circulated on social media by the spin doctors favouring the illegitimate group”, was sheer rhetoric devoid of any basis and truth.
In fact, M&PB said “the speech reflected the intellectual infirmity Patton reputedly suffers from, when he repeatedly mentioned about contesting the 2018 elections on NPF ticket and symbol when he and most of his group members are either suspended or expelled from the party, It is not unlike some erring members of a Church, having being removed from the primary membership of the Church because of their delinquent ways, continue to proclaim that they, the expelled members, would take over the affairs of the Church!”
It said that Patton has not been able to percolate the very fact that the legislature wing of any political party was just another subordinate body like the youth wing or the women wing, and that it was not competent enough to dictate on the affairs of the political party it belongs to.
M&PB said Patton also “seemed to have thought it was a brilliant revelation surpassing any of Stephen Hawkins’ discoveries when he told the gathering that Dr Shurhozelie was not even an MLA and that they, the legislators, made him the chief minister.”
However, the bureau said everyone knows that Dr. Shürhozelie had retired from electoral politics in 2013 but that the legislators, having miserably failed to handle the ULB elections, approached Dr. Shürhozelie on February 15 night, “begged and beseeched him (Dr Shurhozelie) to take over and save their chairs.”
“Patton seems to have conveniently forgotten that he was one of the most vocal legislators demanding that TR Zeliang resign that night itself!,” the M&PB said.
After normalcy was restored under the leadership of Dr. Shürhozelie, M&PB said it wondered as to what extenuating circumstances compelled the same legislators to pull the rug off Dr. Shürhozelie’s feet, “if not for the decision of Dr. Shürhozelie’s government to curb corruption, stop backdoor appointments and to hand over the infamous MKR Pillai’s case to the CBI.”