Post ADC poll trouble
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: June 22 2015 -
The strident voice against NSCN (IM) by Manipur unit of the BJP over the former’s alleged role in the recently concluded Autonomous District Council (ADC) elections in the Naga areas of Manipur alludes to the growing uneasy relationship between Naga People’s Front (NPF) and BJP in Manipur despite the wrong hint given by certain quarters that the two parties were likely to form a post-poll alliance.
The BJP has blamed NSCN (IM) for "completely nullifying" democratic rights of the people and has even alleged that the entire electoral process was "rigged and mutilated" to ensure victory for NPF candidates.
The party has even claimed that these were the handiwork of NSCN (IM) cadres under the direct control and supervision of one leader of the outfit who had allegedly instructed village chiefs to ensure victory for the NPF.
The BJP also blamed the Government machineries for turning a blind eye to the issue despite several reminders.
The party had hoped that the polls would be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere.
However, the expectation was short lived even as the BJP claimed that on the eve of the election, NSCN (IM) and NPF workers “threatened and tortured BJP workers”.
With such claims and perhaps an expected counter-claim, the task of the authorities now should be based on probing the allegations instead of milking political mileage out of the serious allegation.
If the claims are proved beyond doubts, the clouds over political suspicions would disappear over the issue.
While keeping the issue burning, the BJP is also expected to play a bigger role of acting as the prime opposition in ADCs and of course in the legislative assembly.
It should however be noted that all electoral politics have their share of issues beyond the prescribed parliamentary norms.
Hence, every time election knocks at the door in India, poll violence had been endemic overshadowing the attempts to follow the true principles of a democratic order.
It should be once again emphasized that violence has no place in the democratic exercise of electing leaders of people’s choice.
If the trend of applying armed tactics and exhibiting muscle power are not curbed, there will be unending troubles in a state which had been already militarized causing untold miseries as a result of seemingly irreconcilable positions taken by groups – that had dismissed the usefulness of an exercise like the election.
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