|A Correspondent|
PASIGHAT, Apr 2: In the run up to simultaneous elections to 18th Lok Sabha and 11th State Assembly in Arunachal Pradesh, the Political Science department of State’s premier college - Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNC), Pasighat today organized a state level symposium on burning issue ‘Money culture in politics-a threat to Democracy’.
The programme was attended by Prof Nani Bath from Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) and Gr Captain (retd) Mohonto Pangging Pao as resource persons.
The symposium was divided into two sessions - inaugural and technical. Speaking at the inaugural session, East Siang Deputy Commissioner Tayi Taggu said that “everyone is a part of politics today, even if you are not interested in politics, politics is interested on you”.
To do away with money culture in politics, the DC (chief guest) suggested that general masses, the voters will have to avoid taking money from the contesting candidates.
Echoing his (DC’s) sentiments, Arunachal Pradesh University (Pasighat) Registrar Narmi Darang and Doying Gumin College (Pasighat) Principal Dr Egul Padung laid emphasis on doing away with money culture in politics due to which, they felt, that genuine and poor candidates can’t contest elections.
In his speech, Pao said that the lesser population in Arunachal Pradesh is the root cause of money culture in politics. “On an average, in each assembly constituency there are 5000 to 12000 voters in Arunachal out of which buying 3000 to 7000 voters ensures the winning of an MLA and it is easier for a rich public leader to buy voters. So, lesser population in Arunachal Pradesh is also a reason behind money culture in electoral politics in comparison to other states’ constituencies where population per constituency is more than a lakh due to which buying of votes is not possible there,”
Pao also suggested exercising delimitation in assembly constituencies in order to do away with money culture, while stating that the lesser number of constituencies will increase the population in each assembly constituency which will not be easy for a leader to buy votes any longer.
Prof Bath also laid emphasis on doing away with money culture in electoral politics as well as in student politics. He said that, given the support of like minded people, he is contemplating filing a PIL against the provision of the constitution in which a candidate/leader in Arunachal Pradesh is not required to give the proof of income source which leads to huge accumulation of money by many leaders and others by means of corruption etc.
“By filling the PIL to scrap the particular provision, we will be successful in dealing with corruption and money culture in Arunachal Pradesh,” he added. Prof Bath further said that the money culture in politics is really a threat to democracy.
HoD Political Science (JNC, Pasighat) and coordinator of the event, Danggen Dameng said that the topic of the state level symposium was chosen seeing the present scenario of money culture in politics about which state’s Chief Minister Pema Khandu has also been raising in recent past.
He hoped that such a hot topic and its deliberate discussion will create more awareness among the people/voters and the elected leaders/candidates.
The symposium was also graced by JNC Principal Dr Tasi Taloh and Vice Principal Dr Leki Sitang, DPGC Kamki Vice Principal Dr Gomo Karbak, and others.