Mizo Church plays crucial role in Mizoram polls

AIZAWL, November 19 - Virtually everything in Mizoram revolves around the Church and politics is no exception particularly during elections.

A street preaching in the main market of Aizwal/Aizawl pulls more crowd than an election rally in this state.

The young and the not-so-young congregate at the Church service. The messages and preaching at the Church influence almost every aspect of the social life of the Mizos and become indirect dictats to political parties, prohibition was the strongest of them all but one in which the Church may have failed.

But there is a growing realization that the Church is becoming far too powerful.

“There can be nothing more powerful than the Church in Mizoram. It is so powerful that it has become dysfunctional in so many ways. It will be blasphemous to talk against the Church but if there is something that controls all of us, an unknown force, it’s the Church,” said Henry, lecturer in Mizoram University.

Church elders say there is nothing wrong in this mix of religion and politics.

“The Mizos have followed Christianity though politics exist and different political parties also exist in society and the intricacies between the two don’t make it difficult in the function of politics. I don’t think there’s a danger in the relationship between religion and politics,” said Lalkima, Church elder, Aizwal.

Political parties realise that the Church must be on their side.

“There are so many church leaders who are in our party because people are actually controlled by this Church,” said J H Liachungnunga, MNF candidate.

By Kishalay Bhattacharjee of NDTV

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