Ethnic issues to the fore

The election campaign conducted along ethnic and communal lines by some smaller parties raises the spectre of a divide among communities in Mizoram.

KALYAN CHAUDHURI
in Aizawl

THE prospect of a divide appearing among its tribal communities looms over the northeastern hill State of Mizoram where Assembly elections are to be held on November 25. Ethnic issues, raised for the first time by some of the smaller parties in the State, are likely to be key campaign themes and there is apprehension that this may cause strife. These parties - such as the Mara Democratic Front (MDF), which is active in Chhimutuipui East district, the Lai People's Party (LPP), which has a presence in Chhimtuipui West district, the Paite National Council (PNC) and the Hmar People's Convention (HPC), which enjoy support in the northeastern part of the State, and the Bru National Union (BNU), which has a following in the western belt - may influence the outcome in at least 10 of the 40 Assembly constituencies; in the event of a hung Assembly, their support could prove crucial.

The principal contenders - the Congress(I), the Mizo National Front (MNF)-Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) alliance and the Mizo National Front (Nationalist)-Citizens' Common Front (CCF) combine - however, hope to keep the campaign focus on issues of development and morality in public life.

KALYAN CHAUDHURI
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla.

Concerned that the elections might be fought on "communal" lines, the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), the largest voluntary organisation in the State, has announced that it would oppose candidates of "ethnic parties". Its leaders appealed to the Mizoram Minority Coordination Committee (MMCC) and other ethnic parties not to contest the elections on ethnic lines. Communal violence would only turn "the peaceful State of Mizoram into another Manipur," CYMA president T. Sangkhunga warned.

THIS round of Assembly elections is the fourth since Mizoram attained Statehood following the June 1986 peace accord between Rajiv Gandhi and MNF chief Laldenga, who led an insurgency for 20 years. The first, held in February 1987, brought the MNF to power with a big majority. But the Government did not last its full term owing to dissidence in the MNF, and mid-term elections were held in January 1989. The Congress(I) won 23 seats and its ally, the MNF (Democratic), which subsequently merged with the Congress(I), won two. The Congress(I) formed the government, which lasted its full term.

In the 1993 elections, the Congress(I) won only 16 seats but formed the Government with the support of eight MLAs of its ally, the Mizo Janata Dal. Later, the MJD parted ways with the Congress(I) and formed the MPC under the leadership of Brigadier (retd) T. Sailo. The split came about owing to the Congress(I)'s failure to adhere to a pre-election agreement that Lal Thanhawla would be Chief Minister for the first half of the Assembly's term and Sailo for the remaining period. Lal Thanhawla stayed on in power with the help of five MNF MLAs who defected to the Congress(I).

THIS time none of the principal political formations is confident of securing a majority, and this points to a volatile post-election scenario. There is also speculation about the fate of the "partial alliance" between the MNF and the MPC in the event of the combine securing a majority. The MPC wants Sailo to be made Chief Minister, but the MNF is just as keen that its president Zoramthanga be given the post.

The Congress(I) is contesting all the seats; its list of candidates was announced hours before the deadline for filing nominations expired on November 5. Lal Thanhawla told Frontline that the delay was occasioned by the fact that unlike on previous occasions there were a large number of ticket-seekers. "Even those who are not members of our party wanted to contest on the Congress(I) ticket," he said. "This indicates that the Congress(I)'s political credibility is high." He denied that intra-party squabbles had delayed the release of the list of candidates. Fifteen sitting MLAs have been renominated, and Lal Thanhawla said the list was drawn up after a "thorough screening". He claimed that Congress(I) president Sonia Gandhi, who kicked off the party's campaign with a rally in Aizawl on November 10, was "extremely happy with the way the selection of candidates had been made."

Releasing the party's manifesto in the presence of former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma, State Congress(I) vice-president Sainghaka said that the party would highlight its success in implementing power projects and community development schemes.

THE MNF and the MPC have a seat-sharing agreement in respect of 20 constituencies and have opted for "friendly contests" in the remaining ones. Zoramthanga, a close aide of Laldenga between 1966 and 1986, told Frontline that the "partial alliance" was meant to prevent the Congress(I) from gaining from a split in the Opposition votes. Zoramthanga is contesting from Champhai.

Among MPC leaders, Sailo will contest from Mamit and party working president and former Power Minister Lalhmingthanga from Aizawl East. In 1993, the Congress(I) won both the seats.

In its manifesto, the MNF-MPC combine promises a "corruption-free government" and better allocation of resources and funds.

The third political formation, comprising the MNF (Nationalist), the CCF and the Zoramthar, is contesting 34 seats. The MNF (Nationalist) is contesting 19 seats, the CCF 12 and the Zoramthar three. This formation is backed by the influential Presbyterian Church.

Rev. Lalpianga, CCV chairman, said that the CCF was a body of Church elders whose principal objective was to enable the formation of a "clean" government. Zoramthar president V.L. Nithanga told Frontline that Zoramthar was a team of evangelists that envisaged a "Zoram Thar" (New Mizoram) with a new political and social system.

In the February 1998 elections, H. Lallungmuana, who contested with the support of the CCF, scored a stunning victory over State Finance Minister J. Lalsangzuala of the Congress(I). He is contesting the Assembly elections from Aizawl East II.

With the erosion of support for the Congress(I) among the minority groups, the BJP is trying to make inroads into Chakma-dominated areas. It has fielded 12 candidates, more with the intention of splitting votes and making its presence felt than with the hope of winning. The Samata Party has fielded 11 candidates.

THE Congress(I) has the advantage of money power, but Zoramthanga and Sailo claim that the people are disillusioned with the Government. Zoramthanga told Frontline that the Lal Thanhawla Government was "a symbol of corruption" and that the State was in a "complete mess". He said: "Our fight is against a corrupt government, economic disorder and social degradation under Congress(I) rule."

All eyes are on Aizawl, which has eight seats. The capital was once a bastion of the MNF, which won seven seats in 1987. The Congress(I) won three seats in 1989 and four seats in 1993, although Zoramthanga says that the Congress(I) victory was made possible only by money power.

For the Congress(I), an additional source of worry this time is the Hmar People's Convention, which is contesting three seats in the area bordering Assam's Cachar region. Its armed insurgent wing, the Hmar Volunteer Corps (HVC), has been active in recent years. Lal Thanhawla, who secured the HPC's support in previous elections with the promise of conceding its demand of autonomy for the area inhabited by the Hmar tribe, did not deliver on the promise.

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