Mizo MLA’s assets grow 2,406% in 5 yrs, CM’s 411%
GUWAHATI: Lalrobiaka, a Congress candidate for 2008 assembly polls in Mizoram, in his affidavit filed before the Election Commission, put the value of his total movable and immovable assets at a little over Rs 5.81 lakh.
In the next affidavit he filed in 2013, after his five-year tenure as the member of the state legislative assembly, the 53-year-old Dampa MLA’s total assets had risen to Rs 1.40 crore — an astounding increase of 2,406%.
That’s the reason Lalrobiaka’s name is among nine MLAs of the ruling Congress mentioned in a complaint the state BJP has filed before the anti-corruption bureau seeking a probe.
Lalrobiaka, who owns a garment supply business, attributes the sharp rise in his assets to “some misunderstanding”.
The other names in the report are those of chief minister Lal Thanhawla, ministers John Rotluangliana and PC Lalthanliana, and parliamentary secretaries H Khiangte and K Rinthanga. Legislators H Zothangliana, KS Thanga and Lalrinmawia Ralte also find mention in the complaint filed on Tuesday.
“The BJP and the Mizo public would like to know how these people became so rich in such a short span,” its state president JV Hluna told HT over phone.
Between 2008 and 2013, Thanhawla’s assets increased from Rs 2.22 crore to Rs 9.15 crore — an increase of over 411%.
Lalrobiaka says there was “some misunderstanding” regarding the sharp rise of his total assets. “Earlier we were not very careful in our assessment. Hence the affidavit in 2008 doesn’t include details of my residence which alone is worth nearly Rs 1 crore. But in my 2013 affidavit, that detail is mentioned. Hence it shows an increase in my assets,” he said.
Rubbishing the explanation, the BJP said that as an elected representative, Lalrobiaka shouldn’t have overlooked such an important detail and mentioned all his assets clearly - both in 2008 and 2013. Mizoram goes to the polls next year in which BJP hopes to dislodge the Congress government in the Christianmajority state to extend its footprint in the northeast.