The Mizo National Front (MNF) Friday asserted that it would not form an alliance with the BJP in the event of a fractured verdict in the November 28 assembly elections even as Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla alleged that the two parties are working together for the polls.
Addressing party workers here, Lal Thanhawla, who is also Congress president in Mizoram, said the MNF is a constituent of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and it been working for the interest of the saffron party.
His reaction came in response to MNF reiterating during the day that it would not form an alliance with the BJP even after the polls.
MNF secretary for information and publicity Lalthanzuala Hnamte had clarified his party stand vis-a-vis BJP in the wake of a news report that the BJP and the MNF have reached an agreement to forge an alliance.
According to an online news report, Tripura BJP general secretary Pratima Bhowmik has indicated that in a fractured post-poll scenario the opposition MNF may form a coalition with the BJP to form a government.
Bhowmik was also quoted as saying that the MNF could not have a pre-poll alliance because of a genuine fear of backlash from the majority Mizo voters but when the question of government formation will come up there will be no difficulty in forming a post-poll alliance or coalition.
"Distorting the statement of the Tripura BJP leader, people are spreading rumours to tarnish the image of the MNF, saying that the Mizo party and the BJP have reached an understanding in case of a hung assembly," Hnamte said.
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He said MNF president Zoramthanga had made it clear that the MNF would go alone and would not form any alliance with other political parties.
BJP leaders Amit Shah and Ram Madhav (party in-charge of North-East), in Mizoram recently, had also clearly said that their party would not have any alliance with the MNF, he said.
"The MNF and the BJP leadership had never met to deliberate on pre- or post-poll alliance for coming assembly polls," the MNF leader said adding, it was the ruling Congress which formed a coalition government with the BJP in Chakma Autonomous District Council.
Lal Thanhawla, who is at the helm of affair in the state for the past 10 years and leading Congress efforts to hold the fort in Mizoram, the only state where Congress is in power at present, further alleged that the BJP would indulge in poaching of legislators after the state assembly polls.
Mizoram BJP president John V Hluna, however, refuted the charges levelled against the saffron party by Lal Thanhawla saying that they had no intention to win the support of MLAs belonging to other parties and to poach legislators.
He said the BJP would not use money power to win the coming elections in Mizoram but would ride on the development plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Lal Thanhawala also announced the snapping of ties between the Congress and the BJP at the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC).
He said the party had earlier agreed in May to have ties with the BJP members of district council (MDC) as they were all former Congressmen.
He said that internal bickering among the BJP members of the district council with intention to overthrow chief executive member Shanti Jiban Chakma, who was inducted in the CADC top post May four, 2018, resulted in the failure of the coalition.
The Congress and the BJP have joined hands to rule the Chakma Autonomous after the election threw a fractured mandate.