Nagaland Deputy CM Patton regrets his ‘poorly chosen’ words

Dimapur: Nagaland deputy chief minister Y Patton on Sunday expressed regret over his utterances of poorly chosen words at an election rally.

“There has been some controversy and concern over a statement I made recently during an election campaign, and I want to take this opportunity to clarify and address those,” Patton said in a statement.

He said it was absolutely not his intent, saying he deeply values the right of each and every electorate to make their voice heard.

“My role and intent is to empower and enable that process, not to circumvent it,” he added.

In a video of the campaign rally, Patton was seen suggesting the village chairman, Gaon Buras and voting agents let the villagers go to the fields and cast votes on behalf of the entire villagers in order not to trouble them, sparking controversy over the election process in the state.

Patton, who is also BJP Legislature Party leader in the Nagaland assembly, clarified that the statement he made was an ill-advised attempt at humour, told in the heat of the moment during a campaign event comprising mostly party workers from different political partners.

He stressed that it was not meant to be taken literally but rather as a tongue-in-cheek remark about the sometimes burdensome nature of the election process for rural populations.

“The jest was made in a lighter vein that even those TV channels did not telecast it and press people present there, did not choose to carry it,” he said.

Patton, however, added that he understood that during elections every word is sensitive and how it can be misconstrued and seen as an effort to disenfranchise voters.

Underlining that he respects the democratic process and the right of every citizen to cast their own vote, he said: “That is a fundamental cornerstone of our great democracy, and it is something I would never seek to undermine or subvert in any way.”

Patton also called upon each and every one to take part in the electoral process during the forthcoming parliamentary elections.