Away from the spotlight, Mizoram, the tiny north-eastern frontier State, is also going in for assembly elections later this month. It is the last bastion of the Congress in the northeast, and could well give way to the Mizo National Front, the main challenger of the ruling Congress. Until recently, the northeast was a fortress for the Congress, one which could not be scaled by the BJP, regarded in most of the tribal areas as a pro Hindu party. But that myth has now been busted. The polls for the 40-member assembly is on November 28.
Mizoram has an interesting history. It is the only state which was strafed by the Indian Air Force in 1966, at the time of the Mizo insurrection. The Mizo National Front led by Laldenga, attacked the BSF and Assam Rifles camps and took over government buildings not just in Aizwal but across the State. The MNF declared independence from India. Mizoram was then called the Lushai hills and was a part of the composite Assam State.
Discontent in the Lushai hills was brewing for a long time, but leaders in both Shillong and Delhi, paid little attention. A devastating famine gripped the area in 1959, and the after effects continued for a long time. The anger at the government’s refusal to understand the gravity of the situation and its indifference sparked resentment all through the hills. The tribals who had long considered the people in mainland India as “outsiders’’ were convinced that under the Indian system, they would not get their dues. This led to ideas of armed insurrection and fight for an independent nation. With help from China and Pakistan (Bangladesh had not been formed), volunteers began receiving arms training across the border.
The Indian State came down hard on the rebels. The army was deployed, the air force bombed targets around the BSF camp in the rescue attempt. Not much was spoken of bombing Aizwal in those days. It was a well kept secret till the Mizos later began talking of it. Indira Gandhi was the prime minister, and was worried about both China and Pakistan’s involvement in the Mizo rebellion. The movement was ruthlessly crushed within a few days. Afterwards, villagers had to shift to designated heavily guarded locations and roll call was taken every evening to ensure that nobody had left the camp or escaped. Laldenga and other leaders fled to Pakistan. After the creation of Bangladesh, Laldenga moved to Pakistan and finally shifted to London. Here, secret contacts were made with Indian government officials and finally, when Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister, the Mizo Accord was signed in June 1986.
Mizoram was granted statehood and since then the Mizos have not looked back. They have integrated well with the rest of the country and Mizoram remains one of the more developed states of the northeast. It has the second highest literacy figures after Kerala, and the people are hardworking and disciplined. The Church plays an important role in Mizoram where over 80 per cent of the people are Christians.
The Church has ensured that there is prohibition in Mizoram. People can drink only if they have a necessary permit. Locally grown wine is, however, permitted. The Church also monitors election campaigns, making sure that people are not influenced either by liquour or money power of political parties. Community feasts, sponsored by candidates are not allowed.
One would have thought that after the ruthless action of the Indian State under Indira Gandhi, people would never vote for the Congress. But the Congress and the MNF have been ruling the state in turn since the peace accord was signed. Laldenga was the interim chief minister after the accord was signed and statehood granted. Laldenga became the first elected chief minister of the brand new state after elections to the first legislative assembly in 1987. He was chief minister for just over a year. But he did not remain long in power. He died of lung cancer in 1990.
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, elected in 2008 and 2013, is fighting incumbency. The MNF is hoping for a hat trick hoping to oust the Congress, at a time when the party has lost Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya. The BJP, regarded by most Christain states as a pro Hindu, anti-Christian party, has nevertheless been able to form governments in other tribal states where majority of the population are Christians. The trick is to align with regional outfits. The BJP is hoping to do just that in Mizoram. It is also true that most political parties in the small north-eastern states, dependent on central funds, likes to align with a national party ruling in Delhi. Keeping all this in mind, it will not be a surprise if the BJP succeeds in ousting the Congress by aligning with a regional party.
The signs are somewhat ominous for the Congress. Its home minister R Lalzirliana has quit the Congress and joined the MNF. Three small regional outfits have come together to fight the elections. The National Peoples Party(NPP) of former Lok Sabha speaker Purno Sangma has set up a local unit of the party in Mizoram. The NPP has helped the ruling BJP to form governments in both Meghalaya and Nagaland.
The voters, however, will have the final word. But irrespective of whichever party rules in Mizoram, the Church remains a watchdog and will not allow any government fall out of line. It is to the credit of the hardworking and pragmatic people of Mizoram, that the state has been both peaceful and stable.
Seema Guha is a senior journalist with expertise in foreign policy and international affairs.
