Lalthanhawla criticized the Bru (Reang) leaders for making money out of the Bru refugee issue as there is tardy progress of the return of the refugees to Mizoram from Tripura.Lalthanhawla, who was in Shillong today to attend the attestation parade of the recruits of the Assam Regimental Centre, told reporters that while the Bru leaders are making money, the Centre has failed to understand the ground reality.Blaming the Centre, Chief Minister said, “People from Delhi know nothing about the ground reality” as he indicated that issue of certain Bru leaders misusing the Centre’s money was serious. It was on February 18 that after visiting the six refugee camps at Kanchanpur area of North Tripura district that the the union home minister P. Chidambaram had asked as many as 37,000 Bru refugees to return to Mizoram.Chidambaram had also said that besides the proposed financial package of Rs 33 crore from DoNER, the home ministry was also giving financial assistance for the proper rehabilitation of the Bru people.
Despite the appeal of the home minister, only a few refugees had returned to Mizoram as majority still continued to stay in the camps in North Tripura.
The Bru refugees settled in Tripura after fleeing the Mamit district of Mizoram in 1997 following an ethnic clash.
Asked about why no action is being taken by the government for the misuse of money by the Bru leaders, Lalthanhawla said that he had taken up the matter with Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar.
“They are in Tripura and issue has to be addressed by the Tripura chief minister and the union home minister Chidambaram”, he said
To a question on the delay in early repatriation of the refugees to Mizoram, Chief Minister said, “They are genuine citizens of Mizoram, but they went on their own volition. Now they are free to come back. Their villagers are also empty and they can return any time”.
According to the chief minister, there is already rehabilitation money from the government to help them.” I have given them a village council, drinking water facilities and schools and they can make use of the programmes and policies of the government”, Lalthanhawla, added