Guwahati, DHNS: Faced with a possible anti-incumbency as well as desertion by at least four MLAs, the Congress in Mizoram on Saturday said the Christian-majority state will reject "Hindu BJP" and "its ally", the Mizo National Front (MNF), in the November 28 Assembly elections.
The claim comes a day after the ruling party broke its unusual alliance with the BJP in the 20-member Chakma Autonomous District Council in South Mizoram, which it stitched in April this year to keep the MNF away.
The Congress had won seven seats while the BJP and MNF had got five and eight seats, respectively.
The council was constituted in 1971 under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for the welfare of Buddhist Chakma community, who are often called "outsiders" by the largely-Christian Mizos.
"How can BJP claim that they are not hands-in-glove with the MNF when the MNF is still part of the North East Democratic Alliance, a forum of regional parties floated by BJP? The Christian-majority Mizoram will not accept Hindu BJP and so they are making false claims of corruption against us and trying to woo the Chakma (Buddhist) voters. There has not been a single case of corruption against Congress ministers in the past 10 years of our government and we are very confident we will form the government for the third consecutive term," Lallianchhunga, spokesperson of Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee, told DH from Aizawl, the state capital.
Terming the Lal Thanhawla-led Congress government "corrupt", BJP chief Amit Shah, who addressed a party workers' meeting near Aizawl on October 18, said the BJP would contest in all the 40 seats and form its own government.
Shah also exuded confidence that the BJP would achieve its target to make northeast "Congress-mukt" by forming the government in Mizoram, Congress' last bastion in the region.
The Congress leader, however, claimed that the ruling party would not face anti-incumbency as the Lal Thanhawla government had fared much better than the MNF's two terms in government from 1998 to 2008.
"We have constructed over 1900 km of roads compared to only 200 km during the MNF's regime. We had upgraded a 50-bed referral hospital constructed during the MNF regime into a 500-bed one and then into the state's first medical college. We have created infrastructure and a conducive atmosphere for local youths to do business and have helped over 1.68 lakh families under the new land use policy in the past 10 years. The new land use policy beneficiaries are our biggest vote bank," Lallianchhunga said.
He also claimed that the Zoram People's Movement, a forum of at least seven small parties, which is contesting in 39 seats, favours the Congress.
In 2013, the Congress had won 34 seats and the MNF won 5 but four of its MLAs, including former home minister R Lalzirliana resigned, giving a jolt to the party ahead of the election. Lalzirliana joined the MNF while another minister, Buddha Dhan Chakma, joined the BJP.