Ginger group shows the way

A little plant stem became the symbol of discontent in Mizoram this election. Some of the best varieties of ginger come from the North-East, and Mizoram is widely known for its organic produce. Yet, in this state Assembly election, it emerged as a thorny issue.

Ginger farmers have been up in arms for a while. They have accused the state government of neglecting them, and demanded the implementation of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Control Act passed by the Assembly in 2008. The Act provides a framework for marketing fruits, vegetables and livestock.

Ginger is one of the most important cash crops in the hill state. The agro-climatic condition is favourable for its cultivation and the rhizome is grown on a large scale without the use of pesticides or fertilisers. But the main problem faced by ginger growers is the absence of a market.

And the farmers blame the Congress government in the state for much of their woes. On September 28, 2018, farmers took out a protest rally in the capital, Aizawl, accusing the state government of failing to implement land reform and an effective agriculture marketing system. “Farmers will continue to struggle for self-sufficiency in food production,” All Mizoram Farmers’ Union (AMFU) president Joseph H Thanzuala said at the rally.

But it is not just the farmer who is upset — nor was this the only issue that candidates raised before the November 28 election. There is resentment against the ruling party over another festering issue — that of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. According to some estimates, there are more than 10,000 illegal migrants in the state.

A conglomerate of major civil society groups and student associations such as the Mizo Student Union (MSU) and Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that all illegal immigrants, especially Chakmas from Bangladesh, are deported from the Christian-majority state.

Elections in Mizoram have usually been dominated by two major forces — the Congress and the Mizo National Front (MNF), led by former chief minister Zoramthanga. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in six of the seven Northeastern states, hopes to play a major role in Mizoram after the results are declared on December 11. Though it did not win any seats in the last polls, it fielded 39 candidates this time.

If it does win a few seats, it would be in a position to support a non-Congress government. The BJP has been supporting Bru refugees, who had fled Mizoram after a spate of violence 21 years ago. The Tripura-settled refugees voted for the first time in two decades in the Assembly polls.

Chief Minister and Congress leader Lal Thanhawla hopes to come back to power for the third time in a row. He had earlier said the Congress, which bagged 34 seats in the 40-member Assembly in the last election, would win over 27 seats this time.

Not everybody agrees with him. There are corruption charges against him — as well as against Zoramthanga.

The vote would also indicate what the people of Mizoram feel about the sale of alcohol, as prohibition was one of the main issues in the election. The Congress government had lifted the ban on the sale of alcohol imposed by the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act of 1995. The Mizoram Synod, the highest administrative body of the state’s largest Church denomination, the Mizoram Presbyterian Church of India, has opposed the repeal of the liquor ban.

The MNF, too, supports prohibition. The BJP said that if it is voted to power, it will ban the sale of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) imported from other states but allow the sale of the region’s liquor. “We will promote our local products,” said BJP state unit chief JV Hluna.

The election had some noteworthy sidelights. The state’s pink polling booths — with women-only personnel and only for women voters — evinced considerable interest.

The Election Commission had set up 40 such booths, one for each constituency, to encourage more women to vote. And, according to initial reports, the booths did their job. A total of 3,20,083 women cast their vote, officials said.

These booths became locally known as Dingdi, the name of a wild flower found commonly in the state. The flower has traditionally been used by poets as a metaphor for feminine beauty.

Unlike other states women voters (3.93 lakh) outnumber men (3.74 lakh) in Mizoram.

The wild flower, perhaps, will be the wild card this election.

A Zotinkhuma is a journalist based in Aizawl

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