‘Zofate Jerusalem’: MNF hopes to ride Mizo nationalism wave post-Manipur, to another term

These promises and aims are not new. In fact, as MNF leaders pointed out recently, the question of a unified administration had featured in the 1986 Mizo Peace Accord between the MNF and the Centre after two decades of insurgency led by the MNF. The accord states that “the question of unification of Mizo-inhabited areas of other states to form one administrative unit was raised by the MNF delegation” but the Centre “cannot make any commitment in this respect”.

At a relief camp in a village community hall in Kolasib district. (Express photo)

But the promise has gained renewed relevance recently following the violent conflict in neighbouring Manipur between the state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zomi communities, and the insistent demand by the latter for a ‘separate administration’ for areas dominated by it. More than 12,000 Kuki-Zomi refugees from Manipur have streamed into Mizoram and been sheltered in relief camps, by the state government but even more so by the state’s active civil society. Chief Minister Zoramthanga has been vocal about his support for Manipur’s Kuki-Zomi people, stating he cannot be silent because “the victims are my own kin, my own blood.”

Long before the Manipur crisis erupted, the Mizoram government had also given shelter to more than 30,000 Chin refugees, who had fled Myanmar after the 2021 military coup, in defiance of the Centre’s directions against it.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, the MNF won 27 of the 40 seats. “This time, we will win 28-32 seats,” declares MNF vice-president Lalthlengliana while speaking to The Indian Express at the party headquarters in Aizawl. The state will go to polls on November 7.

Mizoram Assembly seats in districts with relief camps for Manipur refugees.

He rationalises his confidence by saying, “All of Mizoram is so happy. So many people have come from (Myanmar) and Manipur and have been given shelter here – around 50,000. Around 8,000 refugee children have been given free education. People are happy to see this Mizo nationalism… People here have relatives on these sides. When your house is burned, you will remember those who helped you in your time of need.”

Indeed, there has been a massive outpouring of solidarity from the Mizo public for the Kuki-Zomi community. On July 25, thousands took to the streets for a solidarity rally in Aizawl, which Zoramthanga attended, and people have donated resources to feed, clothe and shelter refugees.

The highest number of refugees from Manipur had been sheltered in the Kolasib district, where more than 4,400 refugees were housed – largely through the influential civil society group Young Mizo Association (YMA) – in makeshift bamboo structures, village community halls and empty institution buildings. Hundreds remain there and their care continues to be overseen by the district YMA, village councils and volunteers.

Jerry Zoremsanga, assistant secretary of the YMA, said he is not so sure the MNF’s stand would necessarily translate into more votes for it.

“The local Mizo people are really touched by the plight of the refugees and though the YMA has taken the initiative, all collections have been made from locals… The government has done what it can to help but… any Mizo CM, regardless of party, would have done the same. It’s a humanitarian thing, not political. On the other hand, if the CM had kept silent, that would have definitely had a negative effect for the party,” he said.

The Opposition’s Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) candidate TBC Lalvenchhunga, while stating the same, claims the MNF is trying to shield itself from anti-incumbency by pressing the issue. “The government has nothing else to highlight so it will try to make this a political issue. But the truth is that while the government tries to take credit, it is the NGOs and general public who have put in most of the work, which received support from all parties. We are all aligned on this issue,” he says.

The MNF faces allegations of corruption and unfulfilled promises – the most notable being the promise of Rs 3 lakh to all families, with the government so far giving Rs 25,000 to 60,000 families and Rs 50,000 to another 60,000 under its Socio-Economic Development Scheme.

But talk of anti-incumbency is being brushed aside by MNF leaders, who point to the Covid-19 pandemic and the “2.5 years lost” during which it could not work on its promises.

F Aithanga, an MNF leader and member of its political affairs committee, insists the party is uniquely situated in its stand on the refugees and the welfare of the greater Zo people, and that the events of the last few years have given the party’s standing an unprecedented boost. The emphasis is also on the fact that to support the refugees, the MNF has defied the Centre despite being a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Parliament.

“We have been sheltering and feeding refugees from Myanmar and Manipur free of cost, at the state’s expense. We have asked the central government to help but have not received anything. Now, even among many young people, there is a very strong feeling of the necessity of unification. That will help us in the election… The Congress and BJP here can’t have an independent stand on this issue because they are just units of their centres. The ZPM doesn’t have principles. We have principles that have not changed since the formation of the party. The Centre also criticised us but our CM strongly stood up for these principles,” he says.