New Delhi: Days after Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga appealed Union Home Minister Amit Shah to appoint a Mizo speaking person as state chief secretary, Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Inner Line Reserve Forest Demand (ILRFD) from Mizoram echoed the same and accused that the incumbent chief secretary is working at the behest of the central and Assam governments.
Earlier, in a letter written to Home Minister Amit Shah, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that Chief Secretary Renu Sharma should be replaced by Additional Chief Secretary of Mizoram J.C. Ramthanga.
Talking to ETV Bharat, ILRFD general secretary Raphael Lalrinmawia said that Renu Sharma is not working in the interest of the people of Mizoram. "On the other hand, the chief secretary is working on the directives of central and Assam governments," alleged Lalrinmawia.
The joint action committee also appealed Home Ministry to revoke it's order which stopped the developmental works along the border areas. They have submitted a memorandum to the Home Ministry on Monday.
"As soon as we have a new chief secretary, the work that we have done to keep the peace and harmony between the State of Mizoram and Assam is discontinued due to notice issued by the Centre. We think that it is the plan of the Centre and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to stop the Status Quo between the states and that the plan might lead to another harsh border conflict," said Lalrinmawia.
He said that as per the notice of the home ministry on November 5, the Mizoram government has halted all developmental works along the Assam-Mizoram border. "The Mizo people by and large generally do not understand Hindi. And none of my cabinet ministers understand Hindi and some of them have problem with English language too. With, such background, a chief secretary without the knowledge of a working standard Mizo language will never be an effective and efficient chief secretary," Zoramthanga has written in his letter to Amit Shah.
The AGMUT cadre officer of the 1988 batch, Renu Sharma earlier hold the post of additional chief secretary (transport) to the government of NCT of Delhi. Sarma also served in different state government before assuming the charge of Mizoram chief secretary recently. Lalrinmawia alleged that the Assam chief minister has influenced the central government to appointment a non-Mizo chief secretary in the state. "There is no meaning to stop the on going works alone the border areas," said Lalrinmawia.
The Mizoram government has been constructing roads and bridges in order to link police duty posts and camps in the border areas flowing the border conflict between both the States that took place in July. However, following directives from the home ministry, Mizoram government has partially halted construction activities.
Significantly, the JAC has also appealed Chief Secretary Sarma to take steps to revoke the order issued by the Centre. "Mizoram has been asked to stop its work along the border areas, whereas Assam government is continuing its work and even started a new construction till date," Lalrinmawia added.
