The All India Congress Committee ( AICC) secretary was reacting to allegations made towards the Congress by senior politician Imkong L Imchen
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
As Nagaland goes to poll for the parliamentary elections on Friday (April 19) to choose its lone representative to the Lok Sabha, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Wednesday took a jibe at its nearest rival (BJP) before the last minutes of closing electioneering.
Three candidates—PDA’s Dr Chumben Murry, INC consensus candidate, S. Supongmeren Jamir, and Independent candidate Hayithung Lotha, are in the fray for the lone seat to the 18th Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a hurriedly called press conference at Congress Bhavan, Dimapur, where the NPCC wanted to clarify and refute the allegations made towards the Congress by senior politician Imkong L Imchen, who was elected five times from the Koridang (ST), Mokokchung A/C to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, under different political parties, and in last 2023 NLA elections, through the BJP ticket, All India Congress Committee ( AICC) secretary Ranajit Mukherji, referred that “habitual defectors make habitual liars” as the BJP loves rewriting history, obscure history, and to turn around the same to confuse the voters.
Ranajit said the reason the BJP was doing this, particularly in Nagaland at the moment as they are losing ground in front of the voters which is apparent to any individual who is following behaviour of voters by stating they want to do the same here by diverting the attention of the voters away from the atrocities meted out to the Christians and the minorities all over the country by the BJP and the RSS, and the fact being clearly orated in the Dimapur Congress public rally held on April 16 with attendance of mammoth gatherings.
“We will not allow them to divert this attention”, Ranajit said while adding that the Congress would rather invite Imkong L Imchen to talk on what is what is happening in Manipur and since he is also a BJP leader, the people also wanted to know from him as to why prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, hasn’t’ visited Manipur state till date.
Former member of parliament (Rajya Sabha) since 1998 to 2004 as a member of INC, who also won the 2008 and 2013 NLA elections representing Mokokokchung Town A/C, C Apok Jamir, while also briefing the media persons at the Congress Bhavan, Dimapur, on the issue of the statement made by Imkong L Imchen, claimed it as “very unbecoming” as he has hold the presidentship of DCC (I), Mokokchung, for many years and during his tenure as the president of the district congress has never raised these issues.
Apok said it was “understandable and normal” when one joins a new party thereby becoming very enthusiastic and having a compulsion of trying to make a statement to please the political party in whom he is taking shelter which accordingly is very normal.
Showing his concern on what one sees today is something quite different from what is apparent today in the country and very disturbing for which it needs involvement of every right thinking citizen to make a very conscious decision in order to safeguard the interests of the people and the constitution, the democratic values of the constitution especially the secular values of the constitution, Apok Jamir admitted it was during Pt Jawaharlal Nehru’s time there was a “political turmoil” but it was also reminded that it was during the Congress regime that the “political agreement” came about between the Naga People’s Convention (NPC) and the government of India (GoI) which is a fact and that was how Nagaland got its statehood on December 1, 1963.
“What we are enjoying today, what Imkong L Imchen is enjoying today as an MLA in the NDPP or NPF initially, is due to the gift of the political agreement that has come about and the statehood we have achieved”, said Apok while relegating every blame on the past is not “justifiable” at all but issues confronting the Nagas today is the reality faced by everyone of us.
He also mentioned that ahead of the April 19 polling day for the 18th Lok Sabha elections in the state, he has heard about series of meetings held between the NDPP & BJP and MLAs of their concerned constituencies where to an certain extend they discussed about having free and fair elections but they also have discussed about those voters who do not come to the polling booth, the village council members were to take over and cast their votes on their behalf which according to Apok is totally against the very tenet of democracy and electoral process which the Election Commission of India (ECI) should take serious note of it in order to let the people exercise their conscious vote for a free and fair election.
In his address, AICC in-charge of Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and Manipur, Girish Chodankar, said that everyone is concerned about the proxy voting and booth capturing on the day of the polling.
On this, he informed that the Congress has already submitted a letter to the chief election commissioner (CEO) for which an assurance was given that 50 percent of the polling would be conducted through webcasting of the booths and wherever the same is not available, it would be done through physical recording to thwart any incidents of proxy voting or booth capturing.
Girish later on made an appeal to all concerned including the civil societies, NGOs, and the churches to be vigilant to safeguard the democracy and the constitution so as to celebrate the “festival of democracy” in a fair manner.
NPCC minority department Chairman Javed Sawar was also present at the press conference.