Mizoram: Congress CM Apologises For Former Minister’s Statement Rejecting Church Interference In State Policy

Congress Chief Minister of Mizoram, Lal Thanhawla on Thursday announced that his party would consult churches in the state to formulate its liquor policy if it gets voted back to power in the upcoming assembly election, reports The New Indian Express.

He also apologised to church leaders for a previous statement by the party’s former excise and narcotics minister rejecting the church’s role in preparing liquor policy.

Mizoram is a Christian-majority state and is the only state in the North-East with a Congress government. Liquor policy in the state has become a controversial issue after the Congress government decided to do away with total prohibition in the state by introducing the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Act, 2014.

The passing of the MLPC Act was followed by mass meetings organised by the powerful Presbyterian Church, rejecting the repeal of the prohibition.

Thanhawla defended the MLPC Act as necessary since total prohibition had failed to curb the sale of illegal alcohol in the state. But he expressed his willingness to consult church leaders on the issue of liquor policy, stating, “If the MLPC Act, 2014 is not good for Mizoram and the people, we would determine our liquor policy by consulting the church.”

He also apologised to Christian leaders for a previous statement by former excise and narcotics minister R Lalzirliana saying that the Church would not be consulted in the formulation of liquor policy.

Under Mizoram’s current liquor regime, a person requires a permit to buy alcohol, and is limited to a fixed quantity each month. The main opposition party, the Mizo National Front (MNF), wants a return to total prohibition, while the BJP has proposed a middle-of-the-road approach, calling for only locally produced alcohol to be sold.

Also read: Not Equal Before God? Mizoram Church Expels Pastor For Contesting Elections On A BJP Ticket