Minister denies receiving pecuniary benefits

Mizoram Minister of State for Public Works Lal Thanzara today denied allegations by opposition parties that he received pecuniary benefits from a construction company working under the state government.
Addressing party workers at the Congress Bhavan here, Lal Thanzara admitted that the Sunshine Overseas Company gave him shares without his knowledge.
"I learned about the shares only after the allegations made by the opposition and confirmed the fact after I asked the company executives," the younger brother of chief minister Lal Thanhawla said, adding that he did not know about it earlier as he had never received any pecuniary benefit from the shares.

He also opined that having shares in a company by a minister was not illegal or improper.
Opposition parties accused Lal Thanzara, who assisted his elder brother in Public Works portfolio, of giving undue favour to the Sunshine Overseas Company by awarding crores of rupees worth contract as he was holding a substantial amount of shares in the construction company.