Mizoram: 6 BJP members join ruling MNF

AIZAWL: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered yet another setback in Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC), as six out of its eight members quit the saffron party and joined the MNF on March 27, a statement issued by the party said on Monday.

MNF leader and sports minister Robert Romawia Royte formally inducted six members, including Buddhalila Chakma, Ajoy Kumar Chakma, Onish Moy Chakma, Anil Kanti Chakma, Hiranand Tongchangya and Sanjeev Chakma, into the MNF during a function held at the party office at Chawngte (Kamalanagar) in Mizoram’s southernmost Lawngtlai district on Monday, the statement said.

While citing the reason for his joining MNF, Buddhalila Chakma expressed regret at the failure to accomplish any of the promises that the Central BJP leaders had made to the people of CADC.

He said majority of people in Mizoram are generally averse to BJP’s ideology, which makes BJP’s inroads into the state a distant dream.

“The federal structure of the Indian constitution itself limits the scope of Autonomous District Council in the 6th schedule areas, and as such a district council can’t prosper without the support of the state government,” he said.

He added that the party leadership at the Centre did not pay heed to the problems of BJP workers at the grass-roots level despite the fact that the CADC is the only BJP bastion in Mizoram.

The MNF legislature party meeting held later in the day unanimously elected Durjya Dhan Chakma as a leader under whose leadership the new CADC executive committee will be formed.

The CADC was established in 1972 for the Chakma people. The council has 24 members, out of which 20 are elected and 4 are nominated by the state governor.

At present, the MNF has 18 elected members, while the BJP has 2 elected members in the council. 

Meanwhile, CADC incumbent Chief Executive Member (CEM) Rasik Mohan Chakma of Mizo National Front (MNF) has resigned from his post on Monday, an official statement said.

Chakma submitted his resignation to state governor P S Sreedharan Pillai on Monday, the statement issued by CADC information and public relations department said.

The incident came two days after the council chairman H. Amaresh Chakma was removed in a no-confidence motion during the first sitting of the budget session held on March 26.

With the resignation of Rasik Mohan Chakma, the present executive committee of the CADC stands dissolved and a new executive committee will be constituted, the statement said.

Party sources said that Rasik Mohan Chakma has voluntarily given up his post to pave way for the formation of new executive committee at the larger interest of the Chakma people.

Chakma had assumed his office on January 21, 2019 to replace Shanti Jiban Chakma of the BJP, who was removed in a no-confidence motion.