Kohima, February 19: Nagaland Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr TM Lotha has ridiculed the NPCC�s demand to remove him from office for violation of the Election Model Code of Conduct and further asked them to �clean their eyes first before attempting to clear others�.

It may be mentioned that the NPCC has in an Open Letter to the Election Commission India demanded for removal of Dr TM Lotha, Minister for Health and family Welfare, from his office for violation of Election Model Code of Conduct.

The Congress party charged that the Minister, while attending as a chief guest in one of the Medical department functions at Dimapur on February 16 had violated Election Model Code of Conduct by promising to �create post in a short time�.

In a rejoinder issued here on Monday, the Minister who is also senior BJP leader had rather asked the Congress leaders in Nagaland to see how their Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had promised slew of schemes while campaigning for Congress candidates in Manipur�s Tamenglong district on February 18. He further asked the Congress leaders in the State to �clean their eyes first before attempting to clean others.� �Otherwise such childish, hasty and blind misinformation will only do more harm to their position,� he warned.

Dr Lotha further surprised how the Congress had misconstrued as violation of the Election Model Code of Conduct about his attending of the normal annual affairs of the Nagaland Branch of the Indian Dental Association and his sharing of the Government�s contemplating to at least give a dentist each to all the district hospitals and also CHCs in the State during such meeting.

�It is a routine affair of the Association and has no connection whatsoever either with the ensuing by-elections in the State,� he said.

�In fact, I have never mentioned about the BJP, to which I belong, throughout my speech either nor did I ask to vote for the BJP or for that matter the ruling DAN coalition Government as it had no connection with the by-polls�.

Terming as �uncalled for� the Congress allegation, Dr Lotha said the entire action of the Congress appeared that they would unlikely change their �old tricks of criticizing other parties.� He further cautioned the electorates to be ever guarded as the �Congress will continue to use the same old tricks to criticize the BJP, NPF and the DAN Government as they have no any other agenda for the people as usual�.

Such actions of the Congress party also clearly showed that they were �panicky� and fear psychosis had already crept into the �rank and file of the party (Congress) as they had already been rejected by the people and they are going to be rejected in this coming by-elections too,� the Minister stated.

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