The Mizoram Council of Ministers has said that there is no need to extend Governor’s Rule in the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC), as a stable government can still be formed there. This decision was taken during a meeting held on Wednesday at the Cabinet Room of the Chief Minister’s Office in Aizawl. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Lalduhoma.The Governor of Mizoram had written to the State Government seeking its advice on two important matters related to the Chakma Autonomous District Council. The first question was whether a fresh Inquiry Commission was needed to examine the functioning of the Council. The second question was whether Governor’s Rule should continue in the CADC for another term. On the first point, the Council of Ministers stated that an Inquiry Commission had already been set up earlier to study the functioning of the Chakma Autonomous District Council. The report of this Commission had been completed and submitted. After that, a Study Team headed by the Chief Secretary was also formed to review the functioning of all three Autonomous District Councils in Mizoram. This report too has already been submitted.
In addition, the Deputy Commissioner of Lawngtlai district had also sent a separate report on the CADC. The Council of Ministers noted that these three reports together already provide sufficient information about the functioning of the Chakma Council. Therefore, the Cabinet concluded that there is no need to set up yet another Inquiry Commission on the same subject.The second major point discussed in the meeting concerned the continuation of Governor’s Rule in the Chakma Autonomous District Council. The Cabinet noted that out of the 20 elected Members of District Council (MDCs), 16 members belong to one party that is capable of forming the government. Earlier, the High Court had also directed that all possible steps should be taken to explore the formation of an elected government. Based on this situation, the Council of Ministers had earlier recommended that the party with majority support should be allowed to form the government, instead of running the Council under Governor’s Rule. However, despite this recommendation, Governor’s Rule was imposed. During today’s meeting, the Cabinet pointed out that even after the term of the current Governor’s Rule has expired, the political situation inside the Council remains unchanged. The same party still has the support of 16 members out of 20, which is a clear majority. The Council of Ministers said that this shows that the party is still in a position to form a stable government.
The Cabinet further said that there is no sign of political instability or any other special reason that could justify the extension of Governor’s Rule for another six months. Since the majority group remains intact, the state government is of the opinion that democratic governance should resume in the Chakma Autonomous District Council.The Council also felt that allowing an elected government to function would be more appropriate than continuing with special administrative arrangements. According to the Cabinet, there is a clear opportunity to restore normal political functioning in the CADC through the formation of a stable elected council. With this, the Mizoram Government has formally conveyed its stand to the Governor, stating that there is no need for a fresh inquiry into the Chakma Autonomous District Council, and that Governor’s Rule should not be extended further as a government can be formed by the majority party. The Chakma Autonomous District Council, located in Lawngtlai district, is one of the three autonomous councils in Mizoram. It was created to provide self-governance to the Chakma community in matters of local administration and development. Political developments within the council have been closely followed in recent months, particularly after Governor’s Rule was imposed.
