Politics / Mizoram

AIZAWL, March 26 ? Former Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla was re-elected unopposed as president of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Wednesday, reports PTI. Returning officer for the MPCC organisational polls, H Raltawna, announced that Lal Thanhawla, was re-elected as there were no other contestants for the party?s top post. Former Agriculture Minister Saikapthianga and former Finance Minister and veteran Congressman John Lalsangzuala were also re-elected unopposed as vice-president and treasurer respectively. Elections to the MPCC executive members and Aizawl District Congress...

AIZAWL, March 14 ? Mizoram government and the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) might soon sign a memorandum of settlement to end the four-year old Bru insurgency in the State and expedite repatriation of Brus from neighbouring Tripura. Government officials, on the condition of anonymity, told PTI recently that the State government had drafted a memorandum of settlement which would be discussed in the fourth round of talks with the BNLF in the later part of this month or early March. They, however, refused to divulge the terms and conditions of the draft agreement. The officials felt that...

AIZAWL, March 16 ? Mizoram government has no intention to create a separate autonomous district council for the Brus/Reangs by carving out some parts of the State, Home Minister Tawnluia told the State Assembly here Friday, reports PTI. In a written reply to questions from Zakhu Hlychho of the Congress and J Lalthangliana of the Mizoram People?s Conference, Tawnluia said that delegation of the State governemnt and the Brus National Liberation Front (BNLF) had held four rounds of talks and would continue to have dialogue to reach a solution to the Bru problem. He informed the State...

AIZAWL, March 14 ? Mizoram Pay Commission, constituted to review and rationalise pay structures of State Government employees has submitted its report and recommendations, Chief Minister Zoramthanga said here Wednesday, reports PTI. Replying to a query from Congress members ?Zakhu Hlychho and R Lalzirliana ? in the State Assembly, Zoramthanga said that the Government would soon announce whether it would accept the recommendations or not. He said that the Commission was instituted to set right anomalies in the pay structure and also to rationalise the pay scales of the State Government...

AIZAWL, March 3 ? Talks between Mizoram government and the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) were held Friday in ?cordial atmosphere? with both sides expressing wish for reaching an agreement on contentious issues like Bru repartriation, reports PTI. State Chief Secretary HV Lalringa said though both sides were for early resumption of talks, the dates for the rounds could be fixed on April 10, after the assembly session was over. While Lalringa led the government delegation, the four-member BNLF team was led by its self-styled home secretary Zaithanga Apeto. Two representatives of the Bru...

AIZAWL, Feb 20 — “Remna Ni” or peace day was today observed all over Mizoram to commemorate the signing of peace accord between the Indian government and erstwhile underground Mizo National Front (MNF) on this day in 1986, reports PTI. While no official function was held here, all government offices and educational institutions remained closed for the day. State Governor Amolak Rattan Kohli greeted the people on the occasion saying peace was possible due to the high degree of maturity and statesman-like vision of the then public leaders of Mizoram, especially MNF leader Laldenga and his...

AIZAWL, Feb 1 — The third round of talks between the Mizoram government and the Bru National Liberation Front on repatriation of Bru refugees lodged in camps in Tripura and other issues, schedule for Thursday, have been postponed as BNLF representatives failed to turn up, reports PTI. Officials in the state home department said that the next date would be decided by the BNLF and conveyed to the state government. The last round of talks was held in November. The parleys between the two parties assumed added significance after the Mizoram government linked repatriation of the Bru refugees in...

AGARTALA, Jan 18 — The Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF), a Mizoram-based outfit has said all its members would surrender to the Mizoram Government if the later concedes their demands through peaceful negotiations. Two rounds of peace talks have been held with the government and we are optimistic that it would bear fruits, A Joseph, asvisor of BNLF told PTI here. ‘All the members would surrender if the government concedes our demands,’ he said. Joseph denied a press report that BNLF has recently suffered a split on the issue of surrender. The BNLF’s main demands include rehabilitation of...

AIZAWL, Jan 15 — The Gauhati High Court has instructed Mizoram government to file an affidavit within a month to show that State Governor AR Kohli passed orders relating to nominated members of the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) in accordance with the provisions of the sixth schedule of the Constitution, reports PTI. A two-page order recently given by Justices AK Patnaik and D Biswas impugned the order passed on December 12 by a single judge of Aizawl bench which suspended the orders of the State Governor removing four nominated members of the MADC and appointment of four others in...

AIZAWL, April 20: Budget session of the Mizoram Assembly, which commenced from March 20, was adjourned sine die by Speaker R Lalawia this evening, reports PTI. The House on Thursday passed the State annual budget for 2001-2002 amounting to Rs 1,147.91 crore having an estimated budgetary deficit of Rs 148.59 crore as presented by Chief Minister Zoramthanga, who holds finance portfolio on March 20. During the session of the 429 starred questions admitted, 63 questions were responded to by ministers in the Assembly while the rest were replied in writing. Out of 82 private resolutions admitted...