AIZAWL: Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga is confident that his Mizo National Front will retain power despite anti-incumbency and charges of corruption against the government. He told the media on Tuesday that the political atmosphere and the reports that he had seen gave him that confidence.
He admitted that MNF is facing anti-incumbency in “some corners” but said people by and large are well aware that the government faced difficulties for reasons such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the influx of people from Manipur, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
He described Zoram People’s Movement, which is expected to give MNF a tough challenge, as a “khichdi” party but counted it as MNF’s main rival. “The ZPM is next to us but they are a khichdi (disparate group) organisation that has internal problems. They are a new party and going down. They would be lucky if they could cross the 10-seat mark,” said the former rebel leader-turned-politician.
The Christian-majority Mizoram with 40 seats, will go to elections on November 7. Congress and BJP are the two other key players. Zoramthanga trashed ZPM’s observation that MNF diluted its ideology by joining the BJP-led North-East Democratic Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“We have stood by our ideology since 1961. When somebody tries to trespass into our ideological boundary, we openly oppose it. For instance, we have opposed the Uniform Civil Code,” the veteran politician said. MNF and BJP share an ambiguous relationship and they are going after each other this election.
Zoramthanga said, “We have our principles and BJP has its own. We are extending issue-based support to NDA. If their campaign themes are against the interests of Mizos, we oppose it. We tried to help them in Delhi. I am one of the founding members of the NDA.” The MNF stalwart is not perturbed by the BJP promise to set up a special investigation team to probe alleged irregularities in the implementation of Socio-Economic Development Project.
‘No dilution of ideology’
Zoramthanga trashed the ZPM’s charge that MNF diluted its ideology, saying his party has opposed the Uniform Civil Code