Pu Lalthanhawla

Pu Lal Thanhawla (born 19 May 1938 or 1942 ) is an Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Mizoram, belonging to the Indian National Congress. He holds the record for being the longest-serving Chief Minister of Mizoram, occupying the position for five terms: 1984 to 1986, 1989 to 1993, 1993 to 1998, 2008 to 2013, and 2013 to 2018. He served as President of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee from 1973 to 2021. His electoral constituencies were Serchhip and Hrangturzo from where he successfully contested the Mizoram Legislative Assembly elections nine times, in 1978, 1979, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2003, 2008, and 2013.

Early life

Lal Thanhawla is the son of Hmartawnphunga Sailo and Lalsawmliani Chawngthu. He completed matriculation in 1958. He passed his intermediate examination (higher secondary) in arts in 1961. Thereafter, he obtained his B.A. at Pachhunga University College (then Aijal College), which was then affiliated to Gauhati University, graduating in 1964.

Career The Chief Minister of Mizoram, Shri Pu Lal Thanhawla calling on the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on February 25, 2013

Lal Thanhawla started his career as Recorder in the office of Inspector of Schools under the Mizoram District Council, which was in turn under the Government of Assam. After that, he joined the Assam Co-operative Apex Bank as Assistant. In 1966, he joined the Mizo National Front (MNF) underground movement as Foreign Secretary. He was captured and imprisoned at Silchar jail. After his release in 1967 he joined the Indian National Congress (INC) party. He was immediately appointed as Chief Organiser of the Aizawl District Congress Committee. In 1973 he was elected President of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), a branch of the Indian National Congress, and continued to win the presidency in every election until 2021. In 1978 and 1979 he was elected as a Legislator in Union Territory Elections.

In the 2013 Mizoram Assembly Elections, Thanhawla led the ruling Congress party to a victory winning 34 seats in the 40-member legislative assembly, two seats more than in the 2008 election. The major opposition party Mizo National Front (MNF) barely won five seats, while Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) won just one seat. In the 2018 Mizoram Assembly Elections, he lost the election for the second time.

In November 2021, Thanhawla announced his voluntary retirement from party leadership, saying to The Indian Express: "Politics is in my blood and I can never shrug it off. But I do think it is high time that I make way for someone younger. I am a grand old man now."

Other activities

Lal Thanhawla is actively involved in sports and voluntary services. Major roles he's held in these areas include: Mother Teresa Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) in 2014 A sports complex at Pitarte Tlang, Republic Vengthlang, Aizawl, was inaugurated in 2012 as Hawla Indoor Stadium A public hall at Treasury Square, Aizawl, was inaugurated in 2015 as "Lal Thanhawla Auditorium" Granted Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) by Serampore College in 2019

Controversies Graft case In 1995, officials of the Income Tax Department investigated a case of tax evasion by the Baid Group, which operated a travel agency Capital Travels (Capital Tours (India) Pvt. Ltd.), in northeast India. On 13 September, they found evidence of government funds swindled between Jodhraj Baid, head of the Baid group operating in Mizoram, Lal Thanhawla, the Chief Minister, and Santosh Mohan Dev, the Union Minister. Based on this evidence, two social workers, Zairema and Bualhranga, filed a public interest litigation action with the Supreme Court of India in 1996. The case file accused Thanhawla, along with Baid and Pushpa Sharma (an accountant employed by Baid), of corruption arising from disproportionate income and assets.

An investigation was carried out by the anti-corruption wing of the Mizoram police from 1998,

In June 2006, Jodhraj Baid submitted a petition regarding the incompetency of Singthanga to the Gauhati High Court, and subsequently to the Supreme Court, both of which dismissed the petitions. Thanhawla appeared before Singthanga in September and was again charge-sheeted. As his Chief Minister term was closing in 2018, his nomination papers were re-examined by Lalhriatrenga Chhangte, Deputy Controller of Mines at Indian Bureau of Mines in Kolkata. Chhangte knew that Thanhawla owned a plot of land in this jurisdiction which did not appear in the property declaration. By this time, Thanhawla had begun to construct a building on the property.

Chhangte submitted corruption charges regarding Thanhawla under Section 125 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Serchhip District on 17 January 2018. The accusation also included an inconsistent date of birth declared by Thanhawla in the election papers. Thanhawla made excuses and did not appear before the court in the first two summons in March and April 2018, as his counsel Remsanga Nghaka reported "personal problems." Chhangte also filed a case to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Mizoram Police on 20 May 2018. The Vigilance Department, which was under Thanhawla, failed to issue permission for investigation. On the case of land ownership, Thanhawla claimed that it was allotted to him by the Bengal government as a gift when Kolkata's New Town was expanded in 2011, and that ownership deeds were still officially uncertain in 2013 due to legal issues in that area. He then evaded several court summons under various excuses. On 3 October 2019, he appeared before the court again, and the case was dismissed due to lack of "evidence of mens rea." The court gave him the benefit of the doubt regarding the improper declaration of ownership as originally charged, but also declared that he was the legal owner of the land.