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Mizoram Congress expels party vice-president from primary membership
Mizoram Congress vice-president R Lalzirliana was the second most important man in the government and the party’s state unit, both of which are headed by chief minister Lal Thanhawla.
Three days after he quit from the Lal Thanhawla cabinet, Mizoram Congress vice-president R Lalzirliana was expelled from the primary membership of the party on Monday.
Lalzirliana, who was the home minister in the ruling Congress government, had resigned from the post on Friday after he was served a show-cause notice over statements on joining a rival party.
However, he had not resigned from the party. The 69-year-old was the second most important man in the Congress government and the party’s state unit, both of which are headed by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla.
In a letter issued on Monday, C Lalpianthanga, chairman of Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee’s disciplinary action committee, expelled Lalzirliana as per the party’s constitution.
“He had been a pillar of strength for the party. But for the larger interest of the party, we have to take this decision,” Lalpianthanga told journalists at the Congress Bhawan in Aizawl on Monday.
Mizoram goes to polls later this year and the decision by Lalzirliana to quit from the cabinet and the party expelling him might affect Congress’ chances.
The former minister was served a show cause notice last Tuesday after he made statements that he had been approached by the Mizo National Front (MNF) to join the party before the assembly polls.
The notice had asked Lalzirliana to reply within Friday. But instead of that, the minister tendered his resignation from the cabinet.
Lalzirliana, who is representing the Tawi seat for the fourth term, was upset that despite repeated assurances the government had failed to declare Saitual, a division in his constituency, as a full-fledged district.
“We have held several meetings with Lalzirliana on him joining our party. There is every likelihood of him contesting the next polls under our party’s banner,” MNF chief Zoramthanga told HT on Friday.
The assembly polls are expected to be a direct contest between the Congress and the MNF, but other parties like National People’s Party (NPP), which is heading the government in Meghalaya, and BJP are also believed to be wooing Lalzirliana on joining their camps.
Political alignments are taking place in Mizoram ahead of polls. On Monday, a former minister H Lalruata joined the BJP while politician-cum-businessman and owner of Aizawl Football Club Robert Romawia Royte joined MNF with several other prominent citizens.
NPP, which is also part of the BJP-led government in Manipur, too stated on Monday that it would contest the Mizoram polls. Both NPP and MNF are part of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a BJP-led conglomeration of anti-Congress parties in the region.
