Dimapur, April 23 (EMN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister, Y Patton following the Election Commission of India’s order for re-poll at polling station No. 31, Riphyim Old-III under 37-Tyui assembly constituency.
According to an NPCC statement on Tuesday, the commission’s directive has vindicated the former’s stand that the deputy chief minister “violated election model code of conduct and also committed criminal offence of voting multiple times in full view of camera.”
It stated that since the state’s returning officer and the deputy commissioner of Wokha had given clean chit to Patton, the party lodged an FIR at Wokha Police Station “against the misdeeds of Y Patton and the complicity of polling officials in this entire episode.”
Patton, the NPCC contended, has “no moral authority to remain in office after having lowered the dignity of the office he occupies and for disgracing the people of Nagaland by his shameful conduct.” He should either resign or be sacked by the chief minister, it stated.
The party has appealed to “those village councils habituated in carrying out coup of polling stations” for restrain; or else, it warned, the very foundation of democracy gets uprooted from the village level itself “leading to formation of a government that simply doesn’t care about the plight of the people.”
It also expressed gratitude to the ECI and demanded strong action against the “erring officials who not only failed to perform their duties but rather abetted the deputy chief minister in his shameful and criminal conduct.”
