No Mudslinging For Votes Please, This Is Mizoram

By Prasanta Mazumdar 

For hours, Lalsawta, Sailothanga Sailo and K Laltuvela answered a volley of questions from voters at a joint campaign platform organised by local NGOs on Thursday evening. But not once, they attacked or criticised the rivals.

They are candidates in the prestigious Aizawl East-II assembly constituency in Mizoram which goes to polls on November 25.

In a country where polls are fought bitterly, Mizoram has set a precedent of sorts by being peaceful all along. “Discipline is an inherent culture of the Mizos. The parties may have political and ideological differences but they always stay away from mudslinging,” retired government officer LR Sailo told dna.

Campaigning here is always a low-key affair and free from noise and violence. Common platforms and door-to-door visits by candidates are by and large the only modes of campaigning.

Candidates here spend very little from their pockets as money required to organise common platforms are generated by locals.

“If a candidate spends money unofficially, he is shamed through a public address system while people are advised to be wary of him,” Lalramuana, an NGO worker, said.

On Sunday, politics in Mizoram mingles with spirituality

As the Assembly polls are inching closure in Mizoram, where about 90 per cent of people practise Christianity, political parties are using Sunday Mass to connect with the electorate.

In Christian majority Mizoram, Sunday is not only a holiday but also a day when everything comes to a halt, including political campaigns, as nothing is more important than their weekly routine of going to Church.

Active campaigning takes a backseat on the day of rest as leaders of all main political parties visit churches in their respective constituencies to hold Bible classes.

The all powerful Presbyterian Chruch controlled Mizoram People's Forum (MPF), an election watchdog, has prohibited any kind of political campaigns in Mizoram on Sundays.

"Sunday is a holiday in Mizoram, whether its political campaign or offices. Everything comes to a halt on Sundays. We too visit churches on Sunday for prayers," campaign head of Mizoram Pradesh Congress David M Thangliana said.

Main opposition party Mizoram National Front (MNF), former chief minister Zoramthanga, President of the regional Zoram Nationalist Party Lalduhawma, and even Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla take Bible classes in churches in their respective localities or constituencies.

Lalduhawma, who is a church elder, also takes Bible classes and sometimes delivers sermons in the local church in his home locality.

Zoramthanga, teaches the 'Book of Psalms' at Sunday Bible classes in his home locality in Aizawl.

But this regular Sunday church duty is not entirely without political discussions, when various political leaders visit the church for Sunday prayers and have an interaction with the common people visiting the Church.

"It is obvious that when you have a politician visiting a church for Sunday prayers, political conversations, though covertly, may come up when they interact or greet others visiting the church," said James, a shopkeeper in Aizwal town.

Around 6.86 lakh voters will exercise their franchise on November 25 for the election of 40 members to the Mizoram Assembly and decide the fate of 142 candidates who are in the poll fray.

Presbyterian Church holds key to campaign in Mizoram

An outsider to Christian-majority Mizoram will hardly be able to realise that Assembly elections here are just a week away as posters, placards and wall graffiti are few.

It is the all powerful Presbyterian Church controlled Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF), an election watchdog, that dictates the dos and don’ts of campaigning.

All the main political parties in the State, including ruling Congress, main opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA) led by Mizoram National Front (MNF) and BJP, have signed an agreement with MPF to abide by the dos and dont’s.

“We have the people’s support in taking up this cause of election watch. Guidelines have been laid to check any wrongdoings and avoid any kind of violence in the polls and to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections,” said MPF President Rev Lalramlian Pachuau.

Political parties campaign on joint platforms organised by the MPF, where all the contestants of an Assembly segment debate poll issues, development work and other matters, moderated by a MPF member.

People Assembled at these programs directly ask questions to contenders.

“We try our best to make total use of these joint platforms to single out poor development work and corruption of the present Congress regime. We try to expose the present State Government in these platforms,” senior MNF leader Biak Thansauga said.

The clout of the MPF can be gauged from the fact that in every council or village council area only three banners, thirty flags and 20 posters of a candidate is allowed for every party. Wall graffiti is prohibited.

Only a few street corner rallies can be witnessed across Mizoram. There are only a few big rallies such as the one by the Prime Minister or by heavyweight politicians.

MPF has banned door to door campaign by contenders in the last ten days before the polls to prevent voters being influenced in any manner.

Political parties are, however, distributing pamphlets door to door.

Mizoram Elction Update: Nov 18

Average age of Mizo poll candidates around 52

The oldest candidate contesting the election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly to be held on November 25 was the present Revenue Minister J H Rothuama (74) from Champhai North seat while the youngest candidate was Pazawna (27) of the BJP contesting from Mizoram-Tripura border Hachhek seat.

According to the affidavits filed by the contesting candidates, the average age of the candidates of the three major parties - the Congress, Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) was around 52.

The average age of the 40 Congress candidates was 54 with Chalrosanga (39) contesting from Lunglei West against the Mizo National Front senior leader and former minister Dr R Lalthangliana, being the youngest ruling party nominee.

The average age of opposition MDA, an alliance of the MNF, Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) and Maraland Democratic Front (MDF), contesting 40 seats was 52 with two former ministers Tawnluia and R Tlanghmingthanga the oldest candidates at 70 years of age and the youngest candidate T C Kaphmingthanga at 34 years.

ZNP, contesting 38 seats, has an average age of 50 with the eldest candidate being 72 and the youngest being 35 years of age.

Political analysts said that the candidates in the Mizoram elections were younger as the popular mood was to have young and more dynamic leaders to rule the state.

Mizoram elections: Poling party leaves for Bru relief camps

Polling party numbering around 100 officials, including 74 desk and seven nodal officers, on Sunday left for the six relief camps in the state to conduct polling for the Bru voters lodged there.

Mizoram election department officials said that elaborate security arrangements were made for the polling officials as some members of the Mizo Students Union (MSU) reportedly were trying to obstruct the polling party from reaching the relief camps.

The Election Commission instructed the state election department to make arrangements for Bru voters in Tripura to exercise franchise through postal ballots in their respective camps on November 19 and 20.

Election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly would be held on November 25 and the EC directed that arrangements should be made so that the Bru voters could cast their votes before November 25.

Mizoram-Tripura border Mamit District SP Rodingliana Chawngthu told PTI over phone that around 45 MSU activists went to the border village of Kanhmun to make efforts to stop the polling party.

Chawngthu said that he did not expect any problem as elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure the safe passage for the polling party.

The MSU leaders said that they did not object to the exercise of franchise by Bru voters, but opposed the casting of votes outside the state.

The Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath recently clarified that the Bru voters were allowed to exercise franchise following a High Court order in 1999.

There were 11,612 voters in the Bru relief camps belonging to three districts and spreading over nine assembly constituencies.

Mizoram CM Lal Thanhawla confident of 5th term ahead of polls

Kaushik Deka

Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla with his wife Lal Riliani.

Elections to the Mizoram Assembly are scheduled for November 25. In an exclusive interview with India Today, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who has ruled the state for four terms in the past, explains why he is confident of a fifth term.

Q: What's your prediction of the November 25 Assembly Election results?
A: I believe we will win in those seats where we failed in 2008.

Q. You had a thumping majority of 32 in the 40-member House in 2008. Do you mean to say you will go past 32?
A. Yes.

Q. What makes you so confident?
A. Because we have delivered on our promises. Our flagship programme NLUP has not only improved agricultural produce and farmer's condition but also developed skill-sets and productivity of people in other sectors. Thanks to a transparent system, the Rs.1 lakh disbursed under NLUP has reached the beneficiaries. Another big success is the restarting of the 60 MW Tuirial Hydro Electric Project.

Q. But your opposition says only Congress workers are getting NLUP benefits. And to woo votes benefits are extended to undeserving people. Even a barber has been given Rs.1 lakh just to start a small shop. People are using the money to buy mobile phones?
A.There is a strong audit mechanism. Money is given over a period of a year in three installments, based on performance and utilisation. And a barber doesn't get Rs.1 lakh. I have now asked my officials to give them things in kind.

Q. The youth of the state, in several opinion polls, have said that ZNP chief Lalduhawma is the best suited to become the chief minister. What's your reaction to that?
A. Lalduhawma is a good orator and the impressionable minds get carried away with his impossible promises. But when it comes to voting, people choose the Congress.

Q. How would you want to woo the youth?
A. I don't need to woo them with false promises. I have already delivered. We have built three AstroTurf football ground, two AstroTurf hockey grounds and two floodlit sports grounds. Two more are in the pipeline. The number of educational scholarship holders is increasing and hundreds of youths are getting skill development training. The world belongs to the youth and my government's objective is to create opportunities for them.

Q. The election mechanism in Mizoram is controlled by the church. The Mizoram People's Forum, a Synod-regulated body, has issued 27 codes of conduct. Why do you accept regulations from the non-government body when there is the Election Commission, a constitutional body, to hold elections?
A. Because we want free and fair polls. Mizo society is by nature very disciplined. And the MPF codes don't come in conflict with EC guidelines.

Q. There was a huge controversy over you sporting a tilak in Durga Puja in Kolkata. What's your comment?
A. I don't want to comment on such a trivial issue. That shows the desperation of the Opposition. They don't really have an issue.

Q. Why are you contesting from two constituencies? Are you not confident of your own victory?
A. I have won six times from Serchhip and don't doubt my victory this time too. The local Congress members in Hrangturzo wanted me to contest from there because Congress has failed to win from that constituency earlier.

A Treat of the Seven Sisters

By Michael Swamy

Chef Michael Swamy graduated from the prestigious Cordon Bleu culinary school, London. He has worked with several Michelin chefs which helped him create a career in food styling and photography. Michael is a Gourmand Award winner (2012) for his book The East Indian Kitchen. He took his expertise further and put it to good use as the food consultant for MasterChef India season 1 & 2. His style of cooking is very classic French.

Delicacies of the north-east

The land of the Seven Sisters - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura - is home to India’s largest collection of tribals who migrated to our peninsula, through the centuries via Burma (Myanmar). The prominent tribal groups include the Nagas, Khasis, Jaintias, Mizos, Boros, Garos and Kacharis. Each group maintains its own identity and culture of language, art and culinary specialities with their integral traditions forming part of their daily lives.

The cuisines of these regions are as varied as the tribes themselves.  Food is simple and for the most part non-vegetarian. Their close proximity to China and Burma have played their part in influencing the cuisine. Fish seems to be the favourite for most, especially in Tripura and Assam due to the close proximity to the Bay of Bengal. The other staple is rice, a dominant cereal of the region and ‘Pitha’ a rice-based dessert is a favourite of all. Mustard oil is the favoured cooking medium.

Travelling through Assam one encounters a wide range of delicacies, including til pitha (til stuffed rice-flour pastries), narial pitha (coconut stuffed rice-flour pastries), and larus (sweet balls of coconut and til) which are prepared in every home during the Bihu festival. Seera (flaked rice) and doi (curd and yogurt) are also eaten regularly.

Nagaland situated at the extreme North-east of the states, is home to 16 major tribes and other sub-tribes. Though fiercely independent as tribes, the cuisine is quite similar and they have hardly any restrictions on the kind of meat they eat. One of their favourite meats is pork and dishes like Awo Kutsu, a speciality made from the head of the pig. Combinations of pork with crab, bamboo shoots, smoked pork with soya bean, crispy hot and sweet beef are popular.

The unexplored cuisine of the north-east
Delicious chutneys, called “tathus”, are made using bamboo shoots and beans. Anishi Lon (a preparation of yam leaves and fermented bamboo shoots with pork and fish) is also famous. Rice dishes like Konyak Nuk-Nge and Galho, a kind of khichdi that can be made in different ways. Chicken seems to be the next favourite meat with dishes named Amerso and Anhoi.

In Manipur the populace is distinctively divided into the hill tribes (Ching-Mee) and the people of the plains (Tam-mee) and both share the produce of the other. The people of the plains depend on the food grains cultivated by the hill tribes and the hill tribes depend on the meats provided by the tribes of the plains. Dishes like "Ngari" (fermented fish) and Eromba (fish speciality) are eaten regularly. "Umorok" (hot Chilli) is grown by the hill people and is used in many of the dishes. A popular sweet here is Kabok, made of rice and molasses.

Orchards of lemon and lime, passion fruit, pineapple and papaya are a pretty sight as one traverses the countryside of Mizoram. Non-vegetarian in their diet, the tribals called the Mizos cook their food using methods that retain the nutritive value. Generally the food is rather bland for those who love spice. Their favourite beverage seems to be a kind of tea called “Zu”.

Northern most is the state Arunachal Pradesh where rice is the mainstay, coupled with boiled vegetables, pulses, meat or fish. The people avoid the use of spice and oils and have a rather nutritious diet with their favourite alcoholic beverage, a rice-beer also known as apang.

In Meghalaya, a favourite Khasi delicacy is that of Jadoh, a delicious blend of rice and pork. There is also the delicious tungrymbai a spicy chutney mix of fermented beans which gives a lift to the simplest of meals.

The North east, its people, culture and cuisine remains largely unexplored till date. Very different from the rest of India, the food here needs to be experienced by all true foodies.

Anup Chetia could not be extradited to India Now

By Syed Sajjad Ali

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir during the inauguration of the newly-built Integrated Check Post between India and Bangladesh at Akhaura Border in Agartala on Sunday.

First Integrated Check Post on Bangladesh border opened

Bangladesh will hand over extremists and criminals wanted in India in keeping with the extradition treat the two countries signed recently, Bangladesh Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said on Sunday.

However, United Liberation Front of Assam top leader Anup Chetia could not be extradited now because he had mounted an appeal in the Bangladesh Supreme Court. “Anup Chetia has completed his term in jail for his illegal stay in Bangladesh. However, he has moved our Supreme Court against his possible deportation elsewhere, and the court is yet to settle the plea,” he told journalists after his Indian counterpart Sushilkumar Shinde opened an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Akhaura in Agartala.

This is the first ICP India has built on its border with Bangladesh. An ICP works at Atari in Punjab on the border with Pakistan. The ICP boasts modern infrastructure to facilitate better trade and immigration. India plans to open 13 ICPs along the border with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar.

Bangladesh Shipping Minister Sahajahan Khan and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who is indisposed, could not turn up for the function.

“The setting up of ICPs along India’s international border is a major infrastructure initiative, and I am confident that the ICP, which became operational today, will be a milestone in the improvement of people-to-people contact and cross-border trade with Bangladesh,” Mr. Shinde said in his speech at the function.

Dr. Alamgir said the ICP would usher in a new era in bilateral relations. He also referred to the role played by the people of Tripura in his country’s war of liberation.

Tripura’s Trade and Commerce Minister Jitendra Choudhury urged Mr. Shinde to approve establishment of eight haats (markets) on the zero line of the border and requested Dr. Alamgir to allow access to the Chittagong port, 75 km from Sabroom in south Tripura.

Mr. Shinde said sanction would be given for haats in Tripura as they were in Meghalaya. He appealed to Dr. Alamgir to allow more imports from the north-eastern India in general, and Tripura in particular, to end the trade imbalance in this sector. Records show Bangladesh exported goods worth Rs. 240 crore and imported products worth a mere Rs. 1 crore through the Akhaura border.

Talking to journalists, Dr. Alamgir denied the presence of any Indian militant group in his country.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stands firm on the issue; if there is any specific information given to us, we would immediately take action.”

Police Register Case Against Agitating ATSUM

Imphal, Nov 16: Police in Manipur has registered a case against the agitating All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) for allegedly threatening railway staff and workers to halt all works related with the construction of Jiribam to Tupul railway line.

Tunnel construction of the Jiribam to Tupul railway line in Manipur had been stopped since November 12 following ban to the implementation of national projects in the state by a group of ATSUM.

ATSUM has banned implementation of national projects including the ongoing railway line construction in Tamenglong district as part of its second phase agitation under the code name ROTO (Reckoning of the Other) and pressing state government to fulfill their demands.

The tunneling work at all places in Tamenglong district except at two places has been suspended owing to the imposed ban. The work at Keimai and Oinamlong guarding by the CRPF were, however, going on as usual.

The Jiribam to Tupul railway line in Manipur was taken up by the Northern Frontier Railways as a national project.

An official source Saturday said that the case which the police has taken up as suo-motu was registered on November 13 last under IPC section 353/506/511 related with assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty.

In the case registered at Tamenglong police station, it has been alleged that the work of the railway line construction has been stopped after volunteers of the agitation group threatened railway staff and workers.

Guwahati To Have First Police Commissioner By January 26

GUWAHATI, Nov 16 (Agencies): Five years after chief minister Tarun Gogoi mooted the idea of having a police commissionerate in the city following serial blasts by NDFB that killed more than 65 people in Guwahati alone, the city is likely to have its first police commissioner by January 26. The blasts had killed more than 100 people in the other parts of the state.

Assam DGP Jayanto Narayan Choudhury told TOI, “The chief minister has given us January 26 deadline for setting up the police commissionerate in Guwahati and accordingly we have submitted our proposal to the government.

” The Assam Police Act, 2007, has provisions for appointing a police commissioner in metropolitan areas and major urban areas where the population is more than 10 lakh. According to police records, the population of the city is over 15 lakh.

State commissioner and secretary of home department G D Tripathi told TOI, “The process to have a police commissioner in Guwahati is on. No bill in the assembly is needed to set up the commissionerate.”

Section 7 of the Assam Police Act says, “The state government may, by notification in the official gazette, establish for each urban areas with a population of 10 lakh or more as may be notified for the purpose from time to time, a police system which is capable of handling the typical complex problems of crime, public order and internal security in urban areas, which call for quick and comprehensive response springing from purposeful direction unitary chain of command, professional competence, function specialization and legal authority coupled with accountability.”

The Act states that the police commissioner to be appointed should not be below the rank of an inspector general of police (IGP).

A source said the DGP has proposed appointment of an additional police commissioner, two joint police commissioners, besides deputy police commissioners and assistant deputy police commissioners to assist the police commissioner.

Rumours trigger panic buying of salt in Northeast

November 16, 2013: Rumours from Bihar that salt was unavailable has severely hit all the Northeastern states which resulted in prices skyrocketing and panic buying.

The news following purported closure of salt-producing factories in Gujarat has caused panic among the people, even leading to clashes between customers and traders at various places and arrest of over a dozen black marketers.

According to The Shillong Times, “There was rush of customers at shops till late in the night at various places, including Jorhat, Nagaon, Tezpur, Sivasagar, Dibrugah, Golaghat and Lakhimpur. Traders ran out of stock at some places in Jorhat, Sivasagar etc.”

Meanwhile in Mizoram, the state government on Thursday warned businessmen against hoarding ‘salt’, which was rumoured to be sold for as high as Rs 300 a kilo against around Rs 10 per kg normal price in some areas of the state, while some shops in Aizawl sold more than 100 quintals of salt in just three hours, reports said.

The Dimapur Superintendent of Police is reported to have issued orders to identify and arrest such unscrupulous traders indulging in profiteering and black marketing and rumour mongers.

Majority of the wholesalers operating in the Northeast region hailed from other states of the country, including West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.