PM woos Mizos with ‘change’ Singh lists Delhi bounty

Aizawl, Nov. 25: It is not often that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh displays any agression. He did so today, shedding his pacifist image to target the Mizo National Front government in its own bastion as he called on Mizos to bring about “change” through the power of the ballot.

During his 20-minute address to a large gathering at the sun-soaked Assam Rifles ground, Singh left nothing to inference as he went hammer and tongs at the ruling MNF government, in the saddle of power for the past decade. At the same time, the Prime Minister wooed voters by listing a plethora of development schemes undertaken by the Centre.

Singh flew to Mizoram, which is going to the hustings on December 2, to address just one public meeting. He landed at Aizawl airport on a special flight and took a chopper to the Assam Rifles base, where he had lunch. He was then brought to the Assam Rifles ground, around 2.5km from the cantonment, in a motorcade, eliciting a big roar from the crowd.

Singh put on a handwoven Mizo jacket with green and yellow stripes, gifted to him by state Congress leader Lalthanhawla, much to the delight of the gathering, after having sported a Mizo shawl. The mood on the ground was festive with banners, flags and cutouts of Congress leaders adding to the colour. The Mizos, known for their fine dress sense, had turned up in their Sunday best and waved the Congress flag all through the Prime Minister’s speech.

Singh began by describing himself as a “son of the Northeast” since he is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam. He added that Mizoram had always occupied a special place in the heart of the Nehru-Gandhi family, in an obvious reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state a few days ago.

As the Congress workers and other members of the audience repeatedly applauded Singh’s speech, translated into Mizo language for the benefit of the people, the Prime Minister reeled off a slew of projects undertaken by the Centre for the state.

He, however, accused the MNF government of failing to “utilise properly the central funds” and alleged that the slow pace of development in the state was due to its “non-performance”.

Among the schemes tailored to woo the Mizos was a massive Rs 5,500 crore special accelerated road development programme for the Northeast. This scheme envisages a four-lane road connectivity among the capital towns of the region and the district headquarters.

Another scheme, to be named Kaladan multi-modal project, would ensure the development of roads inside Myanmar for linking up land-locked Mizoram with the neighbouring country’s port city of Sittwe. He assured the audience that the project would get off the ground soon.

The Prime Minister said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme had been extended to Mizoram for awarding 100 days of firm employment for people below the poverty line at a cost of Rs 131 crore. The state will also benefit from the National Rural Health Mission, for which the Centre is infusing Rs 117 crore this year, and the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan at a cost of Rs 42 crore.

Singh came down heavily on the state government for its “corruption” which, he said, had reached “endemic proportions”. He cited the Japan government-aided 60MW Tuirial hydel project, which has been at a standstill for the past five years, and the 12MW Serlui hydel project, which has remained in a limbo for the past 18 years, leading to a three-fold cost escalation.

The Prime minister ticked off the MNF government, led by Zoramthanga, for its failure to make use of Rs 125 crore under the mautam relief scheme to alleviate the distress of Mizos who are caught in drought following bamboo flowering. Singh gave a clarion call for a corruption-free Mizoram and a change through the instruments of ballot. That this hard-hitting speech went down well with the Mizos was manifested in the empathy demonstrated by the audience in their effusive slogan-shouting and repeated applause throughout the Prime Minister’s speech.

The cheers rose to a crescendo when the Prime Minister introduced some of the Congress candidates for the Assembly polls.

- SANTANU GHOSH, The Telegraph, Kolkata

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