Northeast Desk, 24th October: Mizoram’s Chief Minister, Zoramthanga, made it clear on October 23 that he would not share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to the state for campaigning related to the assembly elections.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Mamit town on October 30 to extend support to BJP candidates. Zoramthanga cited recent violence in Manipur and the alleged burning of numerous churches by the Meitei community as the basis for his decision. He expressed concern that aligning with the BJP at this juncture would pose a significant disadvantage for his party, the MNF.
“The people of Mizoram are predominantly Christians. When the people of Manipur (Meiteis) burned hundreds of churches in Manipur, the Mizos vehemently opposed such actions. Showing sympathy to the BJP at this moment would be a major drawback for my party,” the Chief Minister explained in an interview with BBC News.
He further emphasized, “It would be more appropriate for the Prime Minister to come alone and have his own platform, while I take a separate stage by myself.”
Despite being a part of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and an ally at the national level, the MNF does not cooperate with the BJP within Mizoram. Zoramthanga clarified that the MNF’s association with the NDA and NEDA stems from its opposition to the Congress, and it has no intention of joining any Congress-led alliance.