Mizoram home minister R Lalzirliana resigns after Congress issues show cause notice over reports of him joining MNF

Aizawl: Mizoram home minister R Lalzirliana on Friday tendered his resignation from the Lal Thanhawla cabinet, officials in the Chief Minister’s Office said. Lalzirliana said he has not resigned from the primary membership of the party. His resignation brings to the fore the internal squabbles in the ruling Congress before the state Assembly elections, due in December. He said he had to resign as he could not fulfill the aspirations of the people of his Tawi constituency as the Lal Thanhawla government refused to create a separate Saitual district even after promising the people to do so. Lalzirliana, who is also the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president, was served a show cause notice by the party’s disciplinary committee on Tuesday asking for his explanation on why disciplinary action should not be taken against him in the wake of news reports which claimed he was joining the Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF). [caption id=“attachment_5187361” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Congress leader R Lalzirliana. News18[/caption] His resignation is most likely to be accepted, sources in the ruling Congress said. Lalzirliana, accompanied by his supporters submitted his resignation to Lal Tahnhawla’s principal secretary Lalramthanga as the chief minister is away, sources said. He was given time till 3 pm Friday to furnish his explanation, which Lalzirliana refused to do and announced his resignation to the Congress party workers at the weekly political session held at the Congress Bhavan. During the meeting, which was held earlier in the day, he hinted that there was conspiracy to remove him as vice-president of the MPCC as well as from the post of the minister. “I have no intention to explain and reply to the show cause notice as there is no need to do so,” he said. He claimed that Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the 2008 Assembly election had even promised the people of his constituency that Saitual district would be created if he (Lalzirliana) was elected. Lalzirliana had first won the then Saitul Assembly constituency, now Tawi seat, in 1998 when the Congress was completely routed by the MNF-Mizoram People’s Conference combine. He was among the six Congress legislators in the 40-member house and the only one from Aizawl district. He won from his home turf for four consecutive terms and was inducted as minister in 2008 when the Congress stormed back to power. He was made a minister again in 2013.