GUWAHATI: Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex students’ body of Mizoram, has threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if the state government fails to respond within the first week of August to their demand for concrete steps to resolve the long-pending border issue with Assam.
The students’ organisation had on July 19 staged a protest rally in the “absence of follow-up action” even after it set a deadline to evict staff of the Assam forest department from a disputed land near Vairengte along the inter-state border.
“We had an executive meeting yesterday and are now waiting for a positive reply and subsequent action from our government in this regard by the first week of August failing which we will resort to a state-wide agitation,” MZP spokesperson, Ricky Colney told The Shillong Times from Aizawl on Thursday.
The students’ body alleged that the Mizoram government had been soft pedalling on the issue as the core committee, chaired by state chief secretary, Lalnunmawia Chuaungo, had failed to take any action even after important documents were submitted by MZP on April 16 last.
“We want out state government to start parleys in this regard at the earliest,” Colney said.
The students’ body had after the protest rally also passed a resolution that 509 square miles of inner line reserved forest area should be handed over to the Mizoram government by the Assam forest department.
Assam and Mizoram share a 123-km boundary.
“NRC-like” Bill
Meanwhile, MZP has urged the Governor incharge, Jagdish Mukhi to give his assent to the Mizoram Maintenance of Household Register Bill 2019, which is similar to the NRC in Assam and seeks to detect “foreigners” in the state.
“We also urge our Governor to give his assent to the Mizoram Maintenance of Household Register Bill 2019 at the earliest. The bill, when is becomes an Act will safeguard Mizoram from illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. We urge all our MLAs to put pressure on the Governor in this regard,” Colney said.
The Bill will also help Mizoram in improving all round administration and establishing law and order within the state,” he said.
The students’ body also demanded a “full-fledged” Governor for Mizoram. “In this regard, MZP will write a letter to the President and Prime Minister of India,” he added.