Prism and GCIC have opposed the recent appointment of Kummanam Rajasekharan as the governor of Mizoram on the grounds that he is an “active politician and a radical Hindu”.
Aizawl
An anti-corruption watchdog-turned-political party, the People’s Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (Prism) and the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) have opposed the recent appointment of Kummanam Rajasekharan as the governor of Mizoram on the grounds that he is an “active politician and a radical Hindu”.
The party stated that Rajasekharan is not suitable for the governor’s post as he is an “active member of the RSS and was involved with the Hindu Aikya Vedi and the VHP”.
The party said his appointment as the governor could impact Mizoram’s politics as he is “political person”. Assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held in later part of this year.
The council on Sunday appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to replace Rajasekharan by a “sober and fair-minded person”.
A statement issued by it said Christians in Mizoram in particular and those of the country in general feel disturbed and let down after the latest move by the BJP-led central government in appointing a “hard-core Hindutva fundamentalist” like Rajasekharan as the new governor of Mizoram where 87 per cent of people are Christians.
Update New Delhi: - Kummanam Rajasekharan will take oath as Governor of Mizoram on Tuesday at 11 am. It is learnt that Kummanam will be taking oath in order to avoid a constitutional crisis as the current governor Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma is completing his tenure on May 28. There are reports that Kummanam had informed the central leadership about his unhappiness in taking over as the Governor of Mizoram. He was directed to take oath after the discussions on this matter. The decision on his continuance in office will be made later.
The council alleged that it was done deliberately to “create disharmony in the state by appointing a person who has a long questionable track record”.
“Mizoram has won awards in the last few years for being the most peaceful state in the country and Rajasekharan is not suitable to be the governor of such a peaceful and peace-loving state like Mizoram,” the statement issued by the council said.
It alleged that Rajasekharan is “a hardcore, fundamentalist, ruthless and uncompromising in respect of any deal concerning non-Hindus and he will not be acceptable to fair-minded people anywhere in the country”.
The statement further alleged that Rajasekharan is an opportunist who became a leader of the Hindu Aikya Vedi by organising notorious Nilakkal protests in Kerala in 1983. It also alleged that the BJP leader has been appointed governor to try similar tricks – which he had already played in Kerala – to vitiate the peaceful political atmosphere in Mizoram.
