Mizoram BJP files complaint with DGP over 'missing' Lai district council member

Mizoram unit of BJP has filed a complaint with Director General of Police (DGP) Anil Shukla over the alleged missing of a member of Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC), who opted to join the saffron party after quitting Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) recently. 

In a letter sent to the DGP on Thursday, state BJP general secretary Lalthangmawii said that Tuturu Singh, a member of district council (MDC), who recently quit the ZPM, was allegedly waylaid and abducted by a group of anti-social elements near south Mizoram's Lunglei town while he was travelling to Aizawl on Wednesday. 

Singh had decided to join the BJP following his resignation from the membership of the ZPM and was travelling to Aizawl to join the saffron party, the letter claimed. The miscreants allegedly pulled Singh out of his vehicle and took him to Lawngtlai town, it said. 

Expressing concern about the safety of Singh and his family members, the BJP, in its letter, urged the DGP to take necessary action and initiate legal action against the perpetrators at the earliest. When contacted, Shukla refused to comment on the matter. 

The alleged incident follows the resignation of Singh and N Zangura, another ZPM member in the LADC, from the primary membership of ZPM on Wednesday. While Singh was the deputy chief whip, Zangura served as an adviser to the Chief Executive Member (CEM) in the present ZPM led dispensation of the LADC headed by CEM V Zirsanga. Zangura was inducted into the BJP on Thursday. 

Also Read: Mizoram: BJP to form govt in LADC as ZPM loses majority; alleged kidnapping sparks row

The BJP and its NDA partner, Mizo National Front (MNF) have staked claim to form the next executive committee in the 25-member LADC, threatening to unseat the two-month-old ZPM-led dispensation recently. The joint legislature party led by its chairman Zangura met Mizoram Governor Vijay Kumar Singh and submitted a petition claiming majority in the council on Wednesday, state BJP president Vanlalhmuaka said. 

Officials said the Governor is yet to decide. Vanlalhmuaka expressed hope that Singh may announce the formation of the new executive body led by the BJP this week. He said that one more MDC from ZPM was inducted into the BJP on Friday, taking the party's total tally in the council to 3, including Singh. 

With 11 members from the MNF, the BJP-MNF combine claimed that it has the majority with 14 members to form the next board in the LADC. Vanlalhmuaka said that lone Congress member C Lalmuanthanga has also decided to support the proposed BJP-MNF combine dispensation. The magic number for forming an executive committee in the Lai council is 13. 

The LADC is one of the three ADCs in the southern part of Mizoram, which was created in 1972 for the Lai tribal people and its headquarters is Lawngtlai. 

The council has 25 elected members and 4 nominated members. In the last LADC polls held in December 2020, then state's ruling party MNF won a majority by winning 20 out of 25 seats, while BJP and Congress bagged one each and three independent candidates were also elected. 

Since then the LADC has witnessed 'change of the guard' at least four times with the last being the ZPM-led executive committee headed by V Zirsanga, which was inducted on February 27 this year. 

Officials said that the ZPM now has 10 members, MNF-11, BJP-3 (including Singh) and Congress has 1 member.