Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma stirred the hornet’s nest after the transcript of his 2-month-old US speech went viral on social media.
The revelations were first made by political activist Savio Rodrigues in an article for ‘Goa Chronicle’ on Sunday (3rd November). Lalduhoma was an official visit to the United States in September this year during which he met members of the Chin community in Indianapolis.
Despite being the chief Minister of a bordering Indian state, he called for the unity of the Zo (Chin-Kuki-Mizo) community spread across Myanmar and Bangladesh based on ethnic and religious lines.
With all due respect to the chair of Chief Minister of Mizoram @CMOMizoram. I found a release of the speech of Mr Lalduhoma in Indianapolis, USA on Sept 4th 2024 on the Directorate of Information & Public Relations, Mizoram website. It is this content of his speech that needs to… pic.twitter.com/8cXg5eeRLC
— Savio Rodrigues 🇮🇳 (@PrinceArihan) November 3, 2024
The development comes amid ethnic tension between the Meitei and Kuki communities in neighbouring Manipur. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma called upon the Zo people to unite based on religious and prevent further division.
“I would like to take this opportunity to address the elephant in the room and convey my apprehension that there is a real danger of our religion becoming a source of disunity and division, rather than being one that shepherds the flock and transforms the church into a united, strong and impenetrable fortress, which it should be,” the transcript of his speech read.
He lamented how the ‘Church of North East India’ could not become a reality despite different denominations of Christianity uniting together to form the ‘Church of South India’ and ‘Church of North India.’
While making a heartfelt plea to the Zo community to unite in the name of Jesus Christ, Lalduhoma commended the ‘Chin Relief Committee of Mizoram’ and ‘Myanmar Relief Committee of Mizoram’ for catering to the Kuki-Zo refugees.
Demand for separate #Christian nation carving out India, Bangladesh n Myanmar not new; #Bangladeshi PM lost the chair for exposing US agenda on the same!
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) November 4, 2024
But, elected CM of Mizoram reiterating the same from while on US tour is major cause of concern.
Twisted Liberation Theology… pic.twitter.com/yagw1EK0Jj
He pointed out, “There are several revolutionary groups in the Chin Hills. There even are instances where two or three CDFs exist and operate within the same township. We belong to the same ethnic group and yet, for some reason, cannot work together. Leave aside cooperation, we have even spilled the blood of our brothers and sisters on occasion and this is a shameful, regrettable fact that we as a people have to face and take accountability for.“
The Mizoram CM talked about different organisations, formed by them and working in Manipur on cross-purposes. “I am glad to note that steps are being taken towards unity and I am sure I speak for all present today that I eagerly await the outcome of these overtures,” he added.
Lalduhoma stated that the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) is working towards unity and pointed out that the purpose of his US visit was to create a path of unity for the pan-Zo community. He also highlighted about the establishment of a Chin Unity Forum in July 2018.
Calls for extra-territorial ethnic unity undermine Indian sovereignty
During his meeting with the Kuki-Zo people, the sitting Mizoram CM made remarks that threatened to undermine the sovereignty of India.
Lalduhoma said, “I want to let everyone here know that the primary reason I accepted the invitation to visit the United States is to seek a path towards unity for all of us. We are one people—brothers and sisters—and we cannot afford to be divided or apart from one another.“
“I want us to have the conviction and confidence that one day, through the strength of God, who made us a nation, we will rise together under one leadership to achieve our destiny of nationhood,” he added.
The Mizoram CM lamented that the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people were divided by boundaries and 3 different nations, hoping to transcend the territories in the near future.
“While a country may have borders, a true nation transcends such limitations. We have been unjustly divided, forced to exist under three different governments in three different countries, and this is something we can never accept,” Lalduhoma concluded.
Such remarks are unprecedented for a responsible, elected people’s representative tasked to head a key State in India’s Northeast.
‘We Dravidians’ admin met Mizoram CM Lalduhoma
In October this year, OpIndia reported in detail about an anti-Hindu Twitter handle named ‘We Dravidians’ and one of its admins, Sheikh Abid Hasan.
The supporter of the radical Islamic outfit, ironically named Indian Secular Front (ISF), had confessed to visiting Mizoram’s capital city Aizawl on Kuki money.
During the course of a Twitter space, Hasan remarked, “I went to Aizawl on Kuki money, okay?”
Golden nuggets here!
— नरेशचन्द्र (@nareshchandra_1) September 30, 2024
The guy who wanted to know the procreation capacity of Kuki ladies recently “went to Aizawl on Kuki money”!
Indeed 👏😂
I rest my case 🙏
Samjha? 😭 pic.twitter.com/32MLcg6KWU
He claimed to have met a leader belonging to the Christian nationalist Mizo National Front (MNF), who had the potential to become the Chief Minister of Mizoram.
Interestingly, Sheikh Abid Hasan met Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) leader Lalduhona, who is now seen advocating for extraterritorial Kuki-Zo unity.
Imagine how rotten our system is when Bangladeshis are meeting CM's of our States. https://t.co/cjQRstGi3G pic.twitter.com/LROCfkJxbW
— Lord Immy Kant (Eastern Exile) (@KantInEast) October 7, 2024
The admin of the now-defunct ‘We Dravidians’ had openly called for ethnic genocide of the Meitei community in Manipur.
“I know more about Meiteis than I know about kukis. Believe me the day my party forms Govt at the centre and in Manipur, we will completely annihilate you,” he had warned in a tweet.
The admin of the ‘We Dravidians’ handle also threatened to evict Meities from their homeland in Manipur.
In a tweet, he intimidated, “Maybe all Indians need to buy all Meitei properties or maybe we will lobby to declare Meiteis enemy of India and take away all your property. Push you out of India into Burma.”
Shaikh Abid Hassan attempted to incite people against the Indian government by claiming that it supported genocide in Myanmar. He also stated that such a narrative would help stigmatise Meities further and support the narrative of Kuki-Zo extremists.
When Sheikh Hasina warned of US plan to carve out ‘Christian state’
Prior to her undemocratic ouster, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned that a plot was being hatched to carve out “a Christian state like East Timor” in the region.
“Like East Timor…they will carve out a Christian country, taking parts of Bangladesh (Chattogram) and Myanmar with a base in the Bay of Bengal,” Hasina had cautioned in June this year.
She promised to never let it happen, only to be ousted unceremoniously two months later. At that time, sources told Swarajya that a long-term project was underway to form a Christian state comprising areas of Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India and inhabited by the ‘Zo’ people.
Coincidentally, Mizoram CM Lalduhoma who visited US to promote Zo unity (as per his own admission) had also called for the unification of his community members ‘divided’ between 3 different countries.
