Zoramthanga demands Mizoram CM apology over ILP and 1986 peace accord remarks
MNF president Zoramthanga accused Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma of misrepresenting the Inner Line Permit and the 1986 Mizoram Peace Accord, and demanded a公开
Mizo National Front (MNF) president Zoramthanga has demanded that Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma apologise and withdraw remarks made on the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the 1986 Mizoram Peace Accord. Zoramthanga said the chief minister’s statements were factually incorrect and could mislead young people.
Zoramthanga pointed to Lalduhoma’s address to students at Government Mizoram Law College on July 31. He said the speech discussed Mizoram’s constitutional safeguards and the identity of the Mizo people, but contained details that he called wrong.
Claims on ILP and constitutional safeguards
Zoramthanga argued that Lalduhoma suggested the ILP could be removed if the Centre wanted to do so. He said this is not appropriate for a chief minister to repeatedly say, because the ILP is meant to protect Mizoram’s safeguards and the interests of the Mizo people.
He said the ILP is implemented under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, and has acted as a safeguard since the colonial period. Zoramthanga also said the ILP gained stronger protection through the 1986 Memorandum of Settlement (MoS), which he claimed cannot be amended or repealed without Mizoram’s government consent.
“Message of surrender” was how he described the effect of suggesting that the ILP could be abolished by the Centre. He also questioned why the chief minister continued to publicly indicate that the main protective mechanism could be removed at the Centre’s discretion.
Dispute over wording of the 1986 agreement
Zoramthanga also challenged the chief minister’s description of the 1986 accord. He said Lalduhoma referred to it as a “Memorandum of Agreement” and later a “Memorandum of Understanding,” instead of its official title, the Memorandum of Settlement. He added that Lalduhoma omitted the name of former chief secretary Lalkhama, whom he said signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Mizoram.
To explain the settlement’s background, Zoramthanga said it was signed by representatives from the Government of India and the Government of Mizoram, and by the MNF after sustained appeals from churches, civil society organisations, and political parties. He further said the settlement was implemented through the 53rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1986, which inserted Article 371G into the Constitution.
Zoramthanga said Lalduhoma has taken different positions on the accord over time, and accused him of trying to reduce its significance by describing it as only between the Home Ministry and the MNF. He demanded the apology and withdrawal of the remarks by August 15, 2026. He also said the MNF would take further action if the chief minister does not comply.
