Mizoram CM Refuses To Share Stage With PM Modi, "It Will Be Minus Point For My Party" (image @ZoramthangaCM)
Zoramthanga, Chief Minister of Mizoram, said he will not share stage with Prime Minster Nnarendra Modi, when he comes to Mizoram for the assembly election campaign. Despite being part of the National Democratic Alliance and North East Democratic Alliance which is led by Bharatiya Janata Party, the Mizoram Chief Minister remarked that showing sympathy towards the BJP will not be good for his party adhering to the context of ethnic conflict in Manipur.
While talking to BBC, Mr. Zoramthanga said that to sympathise with BJP at this time will be a “big minus point” for his party, citing the burning of hundreds of churches in Manipur by the Meithei people. He said that since people in Mizoram are all Christians, this could bring in a negative impact on his party, if he backed BJP.
He revealed the reason behind his party, Mizo National Front, joining hand BJP the result of their reluctance towards the Congress. He said, “it will be better if the Prime Minister comes alone and he shares the platform by himself, and I take the stage separately by myself”.
Last month, Mr. Zoramthanga’s government has refused the Union Home Ministry’s order to collect the biometrics data of Myanmar refugees. The order was directed in April of this year and was directed at Mizoram and Manipur as both states share border with Myanmar.
He said that the collection of biometric and biographic data from the refugees fleeing from Myanmar “would amount to discrimination against people who are of our blood and kindred brothers and sisters” and by keeping that in mind, his government refused to collect data from the refugees.
The Mizoram Chief Minister has also pronounced their disagreement to the imposing of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state and has said that Mizo National Front will leave the National Democratic Alliance if the UCC was imposed in Mizoram.
Apart from BJP and MNF, other parties participating in the election in Mizoram are the Congress and Zoram Peoples’ Movement (ZPM).
