Kohima, Feb. 17: The Church in Nagaland feels it is a bit too late to chalk out an action plan and enforce its “code of conduct” for electioneering. The Church, seeking to reform the poll process, had issued a set of guidelines for those in the political arena and as well as voters, expecting them to follow the rules for free and fair elections. However, with the elections drawing close, the Christian establishment feels the “people have not changed enough to see clean elections this time”. It finds itself helpless amid the aggressive campaigning.
The Nagaland Christian Forum, a consortium of all churches in the state, had called a meeting of all political parties in December for a consensus.
The NCF had decided to appoint “village pastors” as overseers to keep a watch on the conduct of political parties. This plan, too, failed. “I think the action plan was too late,” said V.K. Nuh. He said political parties hardly paid heed to the pleas of the Church. NCF president Zhabu Terhuja said, “We had been holding meetings with the election officials since July, but by the time we acted on it, it was late.”
The Church had forbidden vows of allegiance and house-to-house campaigning, but all these have failed.
Speaking in Tseminyu on Tuesday, chief minister S.C. Jamir warned the voters about a “political party distributing fake currency notes to win votes.
“They are getting it from Shillong and we have alerted our people,” Jamir told The Telegraph. However, he added that the allegations were based only on “reports” he had received. “We are yet to apprehend them,” he said. However, the Nagaland People’s Front’s working president Thenucho said it was the Congress which was “buying votes” in the villages.
“If fake currency is being distributed, the state government has failed to put the culprits behind bars,” he said. Speaking in Dimapur yesterday, minister of state for home I.D. Swami had also expressed similar views.
“Fear of God and prayer should be the basis of the elections,” a public guideline issued by L. Bizo, chairman of the Joint Christian Forum, had stated.