What is Mizoram CM Lalduhoma upto ? :::: Should India, Myanmar and Bangladesh take things more seriously ??

"India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar must respond carefully to (Mizoram CM) Lalduhoma’s call for unity (among Chin-Kuki-Zo people)," says an article in 'The Goa Chronicle'. 

"The consequences of such a movement could be profound, potentially leading to a fragmentation of existing states and the creation of a new buffer zone with strong religious undertones. This potential division of South Asia, guided by a separatist push that seems to align with Western interests, is a scenario that regional powers cannot afford to ignore," it says.  

A former police officer, Lalduhoma-led ZPM party came to power in the northeastern state of Mizoram in Dec 2023 after the MNF regime was voted out. The polls in Mizoram were held on the backdrop of intense and an unprecedented Kuki-Meitei clashes in Manipur in the calendar year 2023. 

Blogger in Aizawl : Laldenga Memorial 

Lalduhoma -- A Taiwan establishment function, Delhi, July 2024

The Goa newspaper report filed by Savio Rodrigues says --- "Lalduhoma’s speech (in Indianapolis, US) may have been framed as a heartfelt plea for unity, but its implications are far-reaching. 

"It raises questions about whether this call for a Chin-Kuki-Zo nation is part of a genuine cultural movement or a calculated effort to redraw South Asia’s borders under the influence of foreign powers. For India and its neighbors, the stakes are high," it says adding --- : 

"...what appears to be a movement for cultural solidarity could ultimately catalyze regional fragmentation, forcing South Asian nations to confront the reality of a shifting geopolitical landscape."  

Of course this is not the first time such demands have echoed from Zo-Kuki family.  In the northeast, the Naga insurgency is still a hanging fire and despite talks between the government in Delhi and two potent Naga groups -- NNPG and NSCN(IM); there is no final solution yet.

Nagas also have a demand for a 'greater Nagalim' insisting on unification of contiguous Naga areas both in India and Myanmar. The same demand of 'greater Mizo land' was raised by Mizo leaders in the 1980s.

"The question of Unification of Mizo inhabited areas of other States to form "one administrative unit" was raised by the rebels Mizo National Front (MNF) delegation during peace parleys in 1985-86. 

It was pointed out to them, on behalf of the Government of India, that the Article 3 of the Constitution of India describes the procedure in this regard but that the Government cannot make any commitment in this respect," a retired central government official has said.

In his Indianapolis address, Lalduhoma -- according to the Goa newspaper -framed his message as a “destiny of nationhood" and invoked a shared cultural and religious identity, emphasizing that the Chin-Kuki-Zo people have a historical claim to be one nation despite the political boundaries that currently separate them.  

"We are one people—brothers and sisters—and we cannot afford to be divided. Through God’s strength, who made us a nation, we will rise under one leadership to achieve our destiny of nationhood. While a country may have borders, a true nation transcends them. 

We have been unjustly divided across three governments in three countries, and this we cannot accept," he said. (The Goa Chronicle reported) 

"This sentiment has resonated with some members of the Chin-Kuki-Zo community, who have long felt marginalized and divided. The tribes are spread across India’s Manipur and Mizoram states, as well as parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar, and share linguistic, cultural, and religious ties that make them feel connected across borders. However, Lalduhoma’s words went beyond a cultural message".  

The newspaper report also says that  - "The notion of creating a Christian-majority state, spanning parts of India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, taps into a recurring fear in South Asia...

: that foreign powers may be exploiting internal divisions for strategic purposes. 

These concerns were intensified by a recent disclosure from Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who claimed that an American official had explicitly spoken of plans to create a Christian nation carved from parts of Bangladesh, Myanmar, and India. According to Hasina, the American representative—a “White Man,” in her words—made no secret of his intentions to manipulate religious and ethnic identities to create a Christian-majority state in South Asia."

ends