Mizoram CM-elect Lalduhoma to meet Union Ministers, discuss refugee issue

Aizawl: Lalduhoma, chief minister-designate of Mizoram, on Wednesday said that he will soon meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss the issue of refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and internally displaced people from Manipur.

The Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) leader met Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati on Wednesday at the Raj Bhavan and staked a claim to form the new government following his party's victory in the assembly polls on Monday. 

The governor handed over to him an appointment letter as the chief minister and invited him to take an oath on Friday.

ZPM dethroned Zoramthanga-led Mizo National Front (MNF) on Monday, bagging 27 of the total 40 assembly seats.

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Speaking to reporters after meeting the governor, Lalduhoma said that he had discussed the refugee issue with the Union Home Minister and External Affairs Minister in telephonic conversations on Tuesday.

"I have telephonic conversations with the Home Minister and External Affairs Minister on Tuesday. I will soon meet them in Delhi to discuss how the Centre and the state government can work together to look after the refugees and displaced people," he said. 

As far as people from Manipur are concerned, they are Indian citizens and the constitution allows any citizen to take shelter in any part of the country, he said.

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The 73-year ZPM leader said that his government will continue to provide shelter to the refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh and displaced people from Manipur on humanitarian grounds. 

He said that his government will also see if it can provide relief better than the outgoing MNF government. 

As regards people from Myanmar, Lalduhoma, an ex_IPS officer who had served as the security in charge of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, said that he will discuss the country's foreign policy towards Myanmar with Shankar, who is his IPS batchmate. 

He expressed hope that the Centre will extend help to the state government to look after the Myanmar refugees as it is a humanitarian issue. 

More than 31,300 Myanmar nationals and over 1,100 Bangladeshi nationals are currently taking shelter in Mizoram, according to the state home department. 

The Myanmar nationals belonging to the Chin community, who share ethnic ties with Mizos, have taken shelter since February 2021 following a military coup in the neighbouring country, while the Bawm or Mizo community from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, who fled a gunfight between Bangladesh army and an ethnic insurgent group, took shelter in the northeastern state from November last year. 

Besides, nearly 12,000 internally displaced people from Manipur have been taking shelter in different parts of Mizoram since May this year due to ethnic clashes. 

The outgoing MNF government had in May urged the Centre to provide financial assistance to the tune of Rs 10 crore for assisting the internally displaced people from Manipur. 

Later in September, the Centre told the state government that it will assist in kind. 

However, the Centre failed to give any assistance till now, according to a home department official. 

He said that the state government disbursed Rs. 5 crore from its exchequer and received over Rs. 80 lakh from donations by government employees for assisting the internally displaced people.