Nagaland state BJP President Benjamin Yepthomi (second from left) and BJP state General Secretary Sunep C Jamir (left) at the press conference in Dimapur on September 28. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 28
The Nagaland State BJP called out Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for what the former termed the Congress’ selective posturing on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). According to the ruling party, the opposition Congress should abandon its “politics of allegation without evidence.”
Addressing a press conference, in Dimapur on September 28, state BJP President Benjamin Yepthomi held that the Congress finds nothing amiss with EVMs whenever it wins elections, but questions its integrity whenever the BJP emerges victorious.
While Congress leaders in Kerala credited the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of aiding their election victory, he said that Gandhi questions the credibility of the same exercise nationally.
“We cannot make serious allegations against India’s democracy and expect the allegation itself to become the evidence,” Yepthomi said. Dismissing opposition claims that 13 crore genuine voters were removed from the rolls, he stated that deletions accounted for roughly 1.06 percent of the electorate, representing duplicate and ineligible names. He pointed out that the largest deletions occurred in BJP-governed states, including more than 25 lakh entries in Uttar Pradesh and 17 lakh in Maharashtra, while acknowledging that fake and duplicate voters exist in Nagaland as well.
BJP state General Secretary Sunep C Jamir held that dissent is normal in any institution. He held that discussions among the three election commissioners led to decisions taken by consensus. On queries regarding Form 6 and the centralisation of electoral data, Jamir said supplementary questions on family history in previous revisions served merely as administrative filters to verify resident voters, not as unauthorised amendments to election rules. Jamir added that the panel appointing election commissioners includes the Leader of the Opposition, as well.
2028 polls
For two consecutive state Assembly polls, the BJP has had pre-poll seat-sharing deal with the NDPP, now merged with the NPF. But speculations have abounded of the BJP, with an estimated 2.6 lakh registered workers in the state, going it alone in the 2028 Assembly polls.
Yepthomi put to rest the speculation stating that there has been a strong pitch from its various grassroots units to contest all 60 seats without allying with any party. According to Yepthomi, the written proposals from the mandal (block) and district-level leaders have been forwarded to the central leadership.
On Jamir issue
Turning to the controversy surrounding veteran politician Dr SC Jamir's recent remarks on the Naga political issue, Yepthomi said that the former Chief Minister and Governor was “100 percent right.”
The NSCN (IM) had dismissed Jamir's remarks, drawing strong reactions many organisations particularly from the Ao Senden and Ao Students' Conference (AKM).
While endorsing the stance of the two civil society organisations, Yepthomi said that nearly 70 percent of sitting state legislators privately agree with Jamir but remain fearful of speaking out publicly.
Prohibition
On the recent deaths linked to adulterated alcohol in Tuensang and Mokokokchung, Yepthomi dismissed the Special Investigation Teams (SIT) instituted in the two districts as mere eyewash.
He was asked whether the deaths deserve state-level or separate district-level investigations. According to him, SITs are not going to resolve the underlying issues.
He posed, “If Nagaland is a dry state, how is alcohol flowing into every corner? Why does the state government have ‘bonded warehouses’ (for IMFL) under licence? It should be either total enforcement or legalising and regulating liquor sales, he added.
