Mizoram assembly elections 2018: ‘Will relax ILP in Mizoram if BJP comes to power’

In Mizoram, where power has always changed hands between Congress and Mizo National Front, many see BJP as the ‘upstart’. Given its surge in the northeast for the past two years, however, could the saffron party emerge as the dark horse? President of the state unit JV Hluna speaks to TOI’s Chandrima Banerjee about what a BJP rule would mean for Mizoram.
What does BJP bring to the table that would be a change for the people of Mizoram?

Development. For years, the Centre has sanctioned money for projects which have not been completed. This morning, to travel from my constituency (Tawi in the Aizawl district) to the meeting here (the election manifesto release), it took me three hours. It’s a distance of just 71 km. If we come to power, we will take care of such problems.

So your thrust would be on infrastructure?

One of the many areas of focus, yes. We will get things done. Take power supply, for instance. We will construct two big hydel projects with funding from the Prime Minister’s special package. And the power generated from these two projects will be for us, for Mizoram. Not like Tuirial (hydroelectric project), which Congress built, where only 12% (of the power generated) is for Mizoram. (The Mizoram government had signed a deal to this effect with the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited, which owns the project.) We will revisit the agreement when we come to power.

BJP has promised a boost for trade and tourism. Will Mizoram open its borders to facilitate that?

We will relax the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. Some areas would be under the ILP regime and some would not. For example, the railhead at Sairang (a village 27 km from Aizawl) would be a point up to which no ILP would be required. At Sairang, we will set up administrative units to grant ILPs and from Sairang to Aizawl, we will set up check gates. The highway that will connect Myanmar and Bangladesh through Mizoram will also have such checkgates.

Am I speaking to the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate?

I don’t mind. I could be the CM candidate when BJP comes to power.