Senior Congress politician Shashi Tharoor expressed confidence that his party would form the next government in the northeastern state on Saturday, referring to the Mizoram assembly polls as a “dress rehearsal” for the Lok Sabha elections that will take place next year.
Speaking at a news conference held here, the Keralan Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram said that Mizoram would be the first Northeast state where the Congress regains power after the BJP’s formation of the federal government in 2014.
Prior to the Congress party’s defeat in the 2018 assembly elections to the Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram was the final Northeast state under its authority. MNF belongs to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is governed by the BJP. According to Tharoor, the next year’s Lok Sabha elections would represent a “struggle for saving India’s soul.”
“Our right inherent in our Constitution is the principle of India that everyone is equal irrespective of language, religion, caste, creed, area, and culture. That notion is in jeopardy. The Mizoram election is essentially a practice run for the Lok Sabha elections. The Mizoram people have the chance to declare that this is the India they want to protect. He said, “We want you to consider the bigger picture of this election very carefully.
The Congress, according to Tharoor, embraces India’s variety and virtues rather than its flaws. “One country, one language, one code, and one culture will not be supported by the Congress. We oppose homogeneity. We think that, while preserving our differences, we can be together,” he said.
The moment has come to bring Indians together to see aspirations together, as stated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and to put a stop to the politics of hate, according to Tharoor. “Five years have been wasted in the state under the MNF rule, which was marred by corruption and lack of development,” Tharoor remarked, criticizing the current Mizoram government.
“Mizoram residents may be certain that public funds will be used for the benefit of the people, not only for a select few. In governance, intelligent, creative individuals are needed, he said. In addition, Tharoor discussed the high rate of unemployment in Mizoram and said that innovative solutions are needed to deal with the problem.
As the party has done in other states where it is in power, he underlined many issues in the Congress platform for the Mizoram election and assured that they will all be fulfilled. In the assembly elections, Tharoor questioned the biggest opposition party, Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), regarding their financing source and their experience and competence in leading a state like Mizoram that is beset by a number of issues as a result of the MNF’s “misrule.”
“It’s really unclear who is behind ZPM.” There is a real concern that supporting the ZPM may allow the BJP to enter via the back door. We are advising individuals to choose the reputable party that they are familiar with because of this. Congress takes great pride in Mizoram’s people and culture,” he said. Speaking of the BJP, which is running for 23 seats on a platform of many promises, Tharoor expressed his concerns about the unique provisions under Article 371G and questioned if they would be subject to the same destiny as Jammu and Kashmir’s Article 370.
The Constitution has a unique clause for Mizoram under Article 371G. It says that until the Mizoram Assembly ratifies it, no central legislation pertaining to customary law and procedure, religious or social traditions, or property ownership and transfer would be applicable. “We should be very concerned about the promises made by the BJP. Since 2014, it has a well-known history of breaking its commitments, whether it is to provide 2 crore employment annually or a Rs 15 lakh account.
“With the BJP’s past, nothing is untouchable or holy. This is what we’re all worried about. Tharoor advised the Mizoram people to “take any promises and assurances with a very generous pinch of salt” if they wanted to keep what they already had. He further said that, in contrast to the saffron party’s assertion of non-corrupt government, corruption in the nation has significantly increased since the BJP took office in 2014.
When asked about the Congress’s strategies for keeping its Members of Legislative Assembly from defecting after the elections are announced, the lawmaker said, “Opportunists have left the party seeing opportunities elsewhere.” We have handed tickets to certain kind individuals in Mizoram who won’t abruptly switch to other parties. He said that every candidate for Congress is a sincere individual who firmly adheres to the party’s platform and does not seek office in order to get advantages. Later, when speaking with young professionals, he said that one of the main issues the state is now dealing with is unemployment. According to him, more than 23% of Mizoram youngsters who have looked for work during the last five years are jobless.
Attacking the MNF administration, Tharoor said that it had not produced the jobs it had promised before the election. In actuality, he argued, barely 2,200 jobs have been generated in the previous five years, despite the MNF government’s claims to the contrary.
According to the Congress MP, there are around 4,100 open positions in the state police alone. He said that if the Congress wins the next assembly elections, it would generate one lakh employment for young people without work.
According to Tharoor, the Congress would take action to encourage young people to pursue business. He said that Mizoram has the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest rates of cancer occurrence in the nation and that, in order to combat the illness, hospital infrastructure needs to be enhanced.
According to Tharoor, if the Congress wins control of Mizoram, the government would provide each family health insurance coverage of Rs 15 lakh so they may get cashless medical care.
On a two-day visit to Aizawl, Tharoor arrived on Friday to campaign for party candidates. After giving a speech to a group on Saturday night, he will depart for Delhi on Sunday. On November 7, there will be a single round of elections for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly. The results will be tallied on December 3.
