MEA responds to Mizoram CM Lalduhoma's controversial statement at US event

For days, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma’s controversial statement in the United States about India being “an enemy” has been doing rounds on the internet. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has responded to his comments on Thursday (Nov 7).

The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in the weekly briefing said he has not seen Lalduhoma's comments yet and will respond when they get some clarity on it.

"... We have had issues there [India-Myanmar border] because of the Myanmar security situation. We have talked about [border] fencing earlier, some of the proposals that are there, so I will come back to you after we have some clarity on that," Mr Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday.

Manipur’s Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also reacted to Lalduhoma’s comment, saying, that anyone attempting to challenge the unity and integrity of Manipur or India would receive a fitting response. But what exactly Mizoram’s CM said in the US?

What sparked controversy over Mizoram CM’s statement in the US?

The Mizoram CM gave a speech in Indianapolis during a Mizo Day event, on September 4. It had two instances that have been shared and reported widely.

There he explained why "we cannot afford to have three enemies which are bigger than us", and explained towards the end of the speech why he accepted the invitation to visit the US.

The Mizoram Chief Minister's "cannot fight three enemies simultaneously" comment has been taken out of context on social media, with clips of this speech beginning only from the middle being shared. The three enemies included Myanmar, India and Bangladesh.

Lalduhoma was referring to a point in time when Mizoram had just become a state in 1987 after a violent insurgency, and the formation of the Zo Reunification Organisation, or ZORO, a year later.

The entire controversy arose from the later portion of his speech, where he said,"I want to let everyone here know that the primary reason I accepted the invitation to visit the United States."

"We are one people - brothers and sisters - and we cannot afford to be divided or apart from one another. I want us to have the conviction and confidence that one day, through the strength of God, who made us a nation, we will rise together under one leadership to achieve our destiny of nationhood. While a country may have borders, a true nation transcends such limitations. We have been unjustly divided, forced to exist under three different governments in three different countries, and this is something we can never accept..."

No clarification has been provided from the Mizoram government on the cryptic statement by CM, as of now.

(With inputs from agencies)