Aizawl: The three-term Chief Minister of Mizoram, Zoramthanga, is a man of many shades.
He was the young rebel who spearheaded a rebellion against the mighty Indian State in 1965, serving as a close confidante of his mentor Laldenga, who founded the Mizo National Famine Front. The front was later christened as Mizo National Front (MNF).
In 1986, as the rebels came out of the shadows after the MNF called truce with the Union of India following a peace accord, Zoramthanga joined mainstream politics. He took charge as a minister in the administration led by Laldenga, who became the first chief minister of Mizoram.
Following the death of Laldenga in 1990, the mantle of leading the MNF fell on Zoramthanga. Eight years later, he became the chief minister of Mizoram for the first time. Cut to July 2023, as Zoramthanga serves another stint as CM, he is also the subject of a meme that is eliciting reactions such as “cute”, “sweet” on social media platforms.
The meme shows Zoramthanga at the 25 July solidarity march in Aizawl, quietly holding an umbrella by himself amid fiery speeches demanding a “united Mizo state” drawing loud applause from a gathering of thousands. As a pastor offers to hold the umbrella for him, the CM politely declines.
In the popular meme, the next frame shows the two holding the umbrella together. The lines of Cupid, a hit song by K-pop group Fifty Fifty plays in the background: “A hopeless romantic all my life/Surrounded by couples all the time/I guess I should take it as a sign.”
The meme, in many ways, captures the prevailing popular image of the insurgent-turned-chief minister— an endearing granddad who can be unwittingly funny, by manner or speech. And at the same time, he is the family patriarch who draws quiet admiration.
By just showing up at the march, organised by a collective of NGOs and church associations, Zoramthanga sparked a debate on the feasibility of carving out a separate administrative territory for the Kuki community to defuse the crisis in Manipur. That’s why he is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the week.
Also Read: MNF won’t be part of BJP-led NDA anymore if UCC imposed in Mizoram, says CM Zoramthanga
Zo unification
Zoramthanga’s remark touched a raw nerve that became apparent from Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s reaction on Wednesday. Singh said that the MNF chief should desist from “interfering in the internal matter of another state”.
But Zoramthanga remains unfazed. On Thursday, speaking to ThePrint, the Mizoram CM said the demand for unification of Mizo-inhabited territories under one administration is as old as Biren Singh.
“The MNF first made the demand in 1961 when Biren Singh was born. I am not interfering in the affairs of any state,” Zoramthanga said, in an apparent snub to the beleaguered Manipur CM from the BJP stable.
In fact, Zoramthanga has been rather vocal about the need to resolve the Manipur crisis ever since violence broke out in early May. Much of it, of course, is due to the fact that Kukis and Mizos share a common ethnicity, resulting in deep familial ties between them.
Naturally, as violence between the Meiteis and Kukis raged in Manipur, thousands of Kukis—around 12,300 at last official count—crossed over to Mizoram, seeking shelter. As of today, nearly 80 per cent of such displaced persons are residing with families and friends in Mizoram, while the rest are in relief camps, primarily in Aizawl.
After the video of the two Kuki women being sexually assaulted and paraded naked by a Meitei mob surfaced, triggering widespread outrage, Zoramthanga issued a statement. “Many lives have been lost, bloodshed all over, physical torture & the victims are looking for refuge wherever possible. With no iota of doubt, those victims are my kith and kin, my own blood and should we quieten the situation by just being silent? I don’t think so! SILENCE is not an OPTION!” he said.
Earlier, he had tweeted, “If there is ONLY one way of settling for peace, shall we opt for that?”, hinting that for the MNF, the issue of unification of Mizo-inhabited areas under one administration was firmly back on the table. On Thursday, he told ThePrint that he was indeed suggesting that the unification demand be explored as a solution under Article 3 of the Constitution of India.
The onset of May witnessed a brutal, untoward and uncalled-for incident in Manipur. At this very moment, 3:30am, July the 4th, 2023; nothing seems to have changed. We are counting, and today is the 62nd day.
While we hope with much goodwill, anticipation and hope, things would… pic.twitter.com/EKduEqrShY
— Zoramthanga (@ZoramthangaCM) July 3, 2023
With assembly elections due in Mizoram later this year, it is only evident that Zoramthanga will use this as a tool to galvanise public support in his favour to tide over anti-incumbency. Not everyone is amused though.
“The CM has turned into a laughing stock in the state. He keeps on saying things which do not make sense. He is not taken seriously by people anymore,” Mizoram Congress chief Lalsawta told ThePrint.
Also Read: ‘Can’t manage refugees, polls alone, humanitarian crisis looms’: Mizoram CM’s SOS in letter to Modi
MNF, UCC and NDA
In the 2018 assembly polls, MNF had bagged 26 seats in the 40-member state legislative assembly, unseating the Congress, which had finished third with five seats. The runner-up was the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) with eight seats.
Lalsawta also pointed out that for all his apparent solidarity with the Kuki victims of Manipur violence, Zoramthanga’s party remains part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This is one question that Zoramthanga has repeatedly faced over the last three months.
But the 79-year-old brushes away criticisms on this aspect, arguing that the MNF will never be servile to the NDA, particularly when it comes to the interests of the Mizos. “For instance, if they impose UCC on Mizoram, we certainly cannot be with the NDA,” he told ThePrint Thursday.
And then came the punch line with a smirk. “The NDA leadership is wise enough and mature enough to see that this (imposition of UCC) does not help them. So, I don’t think they will not make any issue which will necessitate our leaving of NDA,” he signed off.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)