Besides, Lalthanhawla claims that the people of the State are already feeling betrayed by the MNF-MPC combine. The present government of the State promised many things before the elections and now is not showing any inclination to fulfil them. The former chief minister is confident that the disenchantment of the people will definitely help the Congress to perform better in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. According to him the process of Congress revival in Mizoram has already started and the people will no more tolerate the present non-functioning government.

Recently Lalthanhawla was in Delhi to attend an important meeting with the top party leaders regarding the party's preparations for the forthcoming elections. He had also a session with the chief of the party's manifesto committee Pranab Mukherjee. In that meeting he suggested some points regarding North-East to be included in the party manifesto.

In an hour-long interview with North East News Agency Lalthanhawla analyses the causes of Congress' defeat in Mizoram in the last Assembly elections, party's prospects in the State and finally about his days without power.

Excerpts of the interview:

North East News Agency: Despite the Congress' good showing in the northern states, why your party suffered reverses in the November elections?

Lalthanhawla: The alliance of the power-hungry people caused the defeat. The parties which were fighting each other bitterly for the last ten years, suddenly got united just before the elections and misled the people. That was the main cause for the Congress' defeat in Mizoram.

NENA: But they say that it was the misrule and the non-performance of your government that made their victory possible?

Lalthanhawla: Let them say. They are known for spreading such canards. My government for the last ten years performed creditably in the State. The poll result was not a reflection on the performance of my government.

NENA: But all the Congress stalwarts in the State lost the elections. You also lost from a constituency which returned you four times to the State Assembly. Was it not an indication of people's disillusionment against your government?

Lalthanhawla: Certainly not. Take my case for example. The MPC-MNF combine has an advantage of nearly 5000 votes in my constituency. This time when these parties decided to fight elections together, many of my well-wishers and partymen asked to shift to another constituency or at least to contest from two constituencies as the seat was no longer safe for the Congress. But I decided against it. I had faith in the same people who sent me to the State Assembly for four times. I almost proved that I was not wrong in my calculations as I lost by a margin of 600 votes only. The voting pattern clearly showed that more than 4000 supporters of other parties had actually voted in my favour.

Now tell me, if my regime was so unpopular, how I managed to reduce the margin? Was it not a concrete evidence that we did not lose for misrule or non-performance but due to the fact that the opposition parties despite their different ideologies joined hands just for the sake of power.

NENA: If it is so why didn't your party try to expose the alliance?

Lalthanhawla: We tried to do that. But the moment the MPC-MNF combine realised that they were no match against us in a political battle, they indulged in all sorts of tricks including character assassination. Quite interestingly they attacked me more than my party. It virtually became a fight between Lalthanhawla and the MNF-MPC combine. We did not expect them to stoop so low. As we could not stoop so low, they virtually robbed the voters from us by spreading misinformation and false propaganda.

But they never told the people that they were idelogically different and successfully hid the fact that till the other day, they used to fight each other. They never told the people that when the fight between the two parties reached to a very bitter stage, it was I who effected a truce between them. It was I who gave Rs. six lakh to misguided youths when they were starving in the jungles of Bangladesh during the peace talks. Zoramthanga was the recipient of that money. It was I who sent both Mr. Laldenga and Brig. Sailo abroad for treatment. I don't expect them to tell it each and every people. But it was not wrong to expect that for all these things which I had done for them, they would not indulge in character assassination and personal attacks at least for courtesy's sake. But the subsequent happenings proved that I was wrong.

My friends told me to be aware about their gameplan long ago. As a matter of fact, they started the misinformation campaign long ago. They filed a PIL against me. But so far no court has declared me guilty. Just to prevent them from shattering my image I was forced to join in a legal battle. I had to spend lakhs of rupees to fight the case.

NENA: They filed the case against the Chief Minister of the State. Why did you have to spend the money from your pocket?

Lalthanhawla: I spent my money not to provide them any opportunity to malign me. Let me tell you another incident. I went to abroad four times. Every time I was invited and my trip was sponsored. But with the help of few Income Tax officials they started a FERA enquiry against me. Who knows if I had really spent the money from the State Government's exchequer they would have filed another case against me.

NENA: Your political opponents had also alleged that you stalled many development projects just for personal vendatta.

Lalthanhawla: (Angrily) Let them name even one project which I stopped to settle scores with my political opponents.

NENA: The Bhairabi hydel power project.....

Lalthanhawla: What is their allegation against me?

NENA: The allegation is that you stopped the project as it was the brainchild of Brig. Sailo.

Lalthanhawla: At the outset, let me tell you that Bhairabi project is not the brainchild of Brig. Sailo only. The project is the dream of every Mizo who wants that project to be completed. Even before Brig. Sailo retired from his service, the Mizoram Government took up the project with the Centre. When I became the Chief Minister, I took a lot of interest in the project. But to my dismay I found that NHPC conducted a survey about the feasibility of the project and opined against it. More astonishing was the fact that such a survey which should have taken at least two years to be completed, NHPC finished it within eight months.

But I decided to fight against it. I took up the matter again with the Central leaders and was finally able to pursue NEEPCO to conduct another study. The organisation initially agreed but latter backed out for want of funds. Then I took up the matter with the then Union power minister
Rangaiya Naidu and finally the Brahmaputra board agreed to conduct the study. Now tell me how am I responsible for the delay?

I do not mind someone telling the truths, even the harsh truths. But what is this? Why all this false propaganda? These false propagandas may help them to be in power but will it do any good for the people of Mizoram? Will all such propaganda expedite the developmental process in the State?

NENA: From your observations, it is more or less clear that if MNF-MPC combine remains intact then the prospect of the Congress in Mizoram appears remote.

Lalthanhawla: If they do not resort to false propaganda, the Congress is capable of confronting the combine. And let me tell you the Congress' fortune in Mizoram is on the rise again. The people have already started expressing their displeasure against the present government. The promises made by the MNF-MPC combine are far from being fulfilled. Developmental works in the State have come to a standstill. Government employees are not getting their salaries on time. People have started questioning the government.

NENA: But the Government alleges that you left an empty coffer that is why the State is facing such an unprecedented finacial crisis.

Lalthanhawla: Again another baseless alegation. The fact remains that when the ministers and the officials of the present regime came to Delhi to ask for Central funds they were categorically told to spend the funds as judiciously as done by the previous government. If we really indulged in finacial irregularities, then why the Central Government is praising our performances in the economic field.

NENA: But what about the Reang problem? It is widely believed that due to the mishandling of your Government, that sensetive issue turned into a major crisis

Lalthanhawla: Are you talking quoting the present rulers of the State or the Mizo people. I am quite confident that every Mizo will tell you that my Government handled that sensetive issue in the best possible manner. If my Government made a mistake, what's the present regime doing?
As a matter of fact, the Reang issue was created by some people with vested interests just to give a bad name to me and my party.

NENA: Who were these people?

Lalthanhawla: Everyone knows who were they. The top brass of RSS and BJP leadership colluded with some Mizo leaders to rake up the issue before the election to prevent us from coming to power.

The fact remains that it was my Government who arrested 33 people who attacked the Reangs. I took every possible measures to ensure the safety of the Reang people in Mizoram. I do not want to go in to the details of what the Reangs did before they were attacked. Any way when my Government took all the necessary steps to ensure peace, the Reangs crossed over to Tripura. And there, they were lodged in a RSS hostel. Isn't gameplan of the RSS and the BJP clear from this act? The Vajpayee Government put pressure on me to take the Reangs back in Mizoram. But why is the Central Government today not puting pressure on the Zoramthanga Government to do the same? The most unfortunate part of the entire story is that both the BJP and the RSS have forgotten the poor Reangs once they achieved their objective i.e. to discredit Lalthanhawla.

NENA: But there were reports of forced conversions?

Lalthanhawla: All false propaganda. If any one is a genuine believer of Christianity, he or she will never indulge in forced conversions. The Christians are totally against forced conversions.I feel pity for those who spread such false propaganda. Their track record is for the entire country to see. What is happening in this country in the last one and a half year? Who are the people resposible for attacks on minorities?

NENA: Another allegation against you that you encouraged nepotism.

Lalthanhawla: Go and ask the prople of Mizoram about this allegation. It is the present regime which is encouraging in nepotism and corruption. The people will tell you the truth. Do not believe this false propaganda.

NENA: Earlier you said that you would not accept
the presidentship of your party's State unit. But again you have taken up the job. What are the reasons behind your change of mind?

Lalthanhawla: The questions of changing mind does not arise as I never said such things.
After we lost the election in the State, without consulting my colleagues, I send my resignation letter to the party president. In that letter I informed her that I was quiting owning moral resposibility of the defeat. That encouraged some of my detractors in Delhi. They along with few Mizoram Congress leaders tried to put pressure on the party high command to accept my resignation. At that time, I came to Delhi to meet Sonia Gandhi. When she asked me about my resignation, I categorically told her that I did not want to continue in the same post but at the same time made it clear to her that I would definitely contest in the organisational polls. The Congress president asked me to continue. At that juncture I insisted that I would continue only if the organisation elections in the State held at the earliest. Sonia Gandhi then consulted Ram Nivas Mirdha and gave me the green signal.

NENA: How do you rate the chances of the Congress in the forthcoming general elections in the State?

Lalthanhawla: We will definitely do better. Last time we lost narrowly. This time we are confident that the party will do much better. Moreover, the growing disenchantment of the people with the present government will help us.

NENA: One last question. How is your life without power?

Lalthanhawla: Believe me I am enjoying every moment of it. For the last ten years, I did not get even ten minutes to spend with my family. I could not look after my children properly. I fulfilled no family responsibilities in the last ten years. I could not spend time with my mother. The most interesting thing is that earlier my mother always used to complain about her health. But since I started returning home on time in the evening, nowadays she is keeping a very good health. Again, I am telling you I am really enjoying every moment of it.Besides, even before the last Assemble elections, I informed my friends that I was not in the race of chief ministership, even in case of
a Congress victory. Last ten years were really hectic for me