Zoramthanga plays ethnic card, may yield electoral dividends to MNF

Aizawl, Oct 22 (IANS) The Mizo National Front (MNF) government’s decision to provide shelter to around 50,000 fellow Chin-Kuki-Zo tribals from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur is likely to yield a rich electoral dividend for the MNF in the November 7 assembly elections.

Political pundits said that without any financial and logistical support from the Central government or any international organisation, the MNF government, Church bodies, state NGO Young Mizo Association (YMA) and people in general are providing relief and shelter to these 50,000 men, women and children which may earn electoral empathy from the Mizo people.  

The Mizo, Kuki, Zomi, Zo, Hmar, Chin of Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur and the Mizos in Mizoram belong to the Zo community and share the same culture, ethnicity and ancestry.

After the military takeover in Myanmar in February 2021, thousands of Myanmarese fled to Mizoram with around 35,000 men, women and children now staying in the mountainous state.

Over 1,000 tribals have also taken shelter in Mizoram after they fled from their native villages in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts after an armed conflict started in mid-November last year between the Bangladesh Army and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), also known as the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).

The KNA is an underground militant outfit demanding sovereignty for the Chin-Kukis residing in Rangamati and Bandarban districts of CHT to protect the tribal people's traditions, culture and livelihood.

Around 13,000 internally displaced people from ethnic violence-hit Manipur also took shelter in Mizoram.

Mizoram Information and Public Relations Minister Lalruatkima said : “The MNF government provided relief and shelter to the Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur refugees on humanitarian grounds. Thousands of refugee students were enrolled in Mizoram schools and provided free textbooks, uniforms and midday meals like the other students belonging to the state.”

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and the state’s Parliament members -- C. Lalrosanga (lok Sabha) and K. Vanlalvena (Rajya Sabha) and the state’s other leaders have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Minister G. Kishan Reddy, and the Union Home Ministry to provide funds and accord refugee status to the Myanmar nationals taking shelter in the state.

The Mizoram government also sought financial assistance for the refugees from Bangladesh and Manipur but the Union government did not provide any funds.

Citing international protocols and conventions, the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier told the northeastern states that nationals from neighbouring countries cannot be given refugee status as India is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Refugees and the protocol.

During the ethnic violence in Manipur, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and other MNF leaders stood by the affected Kukis all along, for it was an emotive issue.

Zoramthanga, his cabinet colleagues and MNF MLAs had participated in the 'Solidarity March', organised by the NGOs Coordination Committee in Mizoram on July 25 to express solidarity for the Kuki-Zo tribals, affected in the violence in Manipur.

The 79-year-old militant leader-turned-politician had affirmed, “Many lives have been lost (in Manipur)…With no iota of doubt, those victims are my kin, my own blood!”

Zoramthanga, who is looking for a fourth term as the Chief Minister, since 1987 has been elected to the state Assembly six times and was Chief Minister for three terms (1998-2008 and 2018-2023).

The MNF is an ally of BJP led National Democratic Alliance and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), but Zoramthanga kept the issue of his fellow Zo tribals above coalition politics.

Despite repeated directives from the MHA, the MNG government decided against collecting biometric and biographic data of the Myanmar refugees even though the BJP led Manipur government was undertaking this process.

“The exercise of collecting biometric and biographic data of the Myanmarese (sheltered in Mizoram) would discriminate against those who are of our blood…”, Mizoram Information and Public Relations Minister said referring to the state cabinet decision.

In the 2018 polls, MNF won 26 of the state’s 40 seats and had a vote share of 37.7 per cent.

The Congress finished with just five seats but received close to 30 per cent of the votes.

The vote share of MNF’s main opponent Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) was 22.9 per cent and the party won eight seats.

The party (ZPM) led by former Indian Police Service officer turned politician Lalduhoma, is growing fast, especially in urban Mizoram, at the expense of the Congress.

ZPM working President K Sapdanga said : “People want a change. They saw the Congress and MNF governments several times and now look forward to getting a new political system.”

The MNF, ZPM along with the Congress have already fielded candidates in all 40 assembly constituencies.

Except the Congress there is no pre-poll alliance with any party. The party has recently formed 'Mizoram Secular Alliance' (MSA) with two local parties --- People's Conference (PC) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP).

State unit Congress President Lalsawta said that the MSA was formed to unitedly fight against the BJP.

The People's Conference, which was founded by Padma Shri award winner late Brig T. Sailo, and ZNP are not fielding any candidates and the two parties would support the Congress nominees.

State Congress spokesman Lallianchhunga claimed : “India under BJP is one of the top 10 dangerous countries for Christians. MNF is also unable to fight against the BJP as it is NDA’s partner.”

Zoramthanga claimed that his party would retain power, securing more than 25 seats in the 40-member Assembly in the November 7 elections.

Political analyst Satyabrata Chakraborty said : “Despite the financial burden and logistical problems of the tiny mountainous state, Mizoram embraced such a huge number of refugees, mostly Chin-Zo-Kuki tribals from Manipur and the neighbouring countries as Zoramthanga, a seasoned politician realised that the MNF government could win the hearts of Mizos by providing warmth to these displaced tribals.”