Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has asked the Centre to appoint a Chief Secretary with a working knowledge of the Mizo language as the Mizo people in general and his Cabinet Ministers do not know or are weak in Hindi.
In a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah on October 29, the Chief Minister said the Ministry of Home Affairs appointed Renu Sharma as the State’s Chief Secretary when his Government wanted to promote Additional Chief Secretary J.C. Ramthanga to the post.
Ms. Sharma assumed charge on November 1, succeeding Lalnunmawia Chuaungo, who took voluntary retirement.
“The Mizo people by and large generally do not understand Hindi. None of my Cabinet Ministers understands Hindi. Some of them even have a problem with English. With such a background, a Chief Secretary without the knowledge of a working standard Mizo language will never be effective and efficient,” Mr. Zoramthanga wrote.
He said this was the reason why the Centre had never appointed a person who did not know Mizo as the State’s Chief Secretary earlier.
“Whether it is the UPA (Congress-led United Progressive Alliance) Government or the NDA (BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre, this has been a practice since the creation of Mizoram State,” the Chief Minister wrote.
Mr. Chuaungo had succeeded Arvind Ray, an IAS officer of the 1984 batch as the Chief Secretary. Whether or not Mr. Ray was familiar with the Mizo language could not be ascertained.
It was a well-known fact that a Chief Secretary without the basic knowledge of the local language was never posted in other States in the country, Mr. Zoramthanga wrote and sought a Mizo in the post as a favour for his “loyalty” to the NDA.
“I have been an NDA partner from the beginning up to this time. While many of the States are changing themselves from one alliance group to another, I am the only one in the whole of Northeast who has been a faithful partner of the NDA. I, therefore, believe that I deserve a special favour and consideration for this faithful friendship with the NDA,” he wrote.
He said if his request was not accepted, the Opposition Congress would make a mockery of him for faithfully serving in the NDA.
