BJP Working With Christian Communities, We Are Reviving Grassroots,” Says BJP Mizoram President Beichhua

In an exclusive conversation with Dr. K. Beichhua, who is the newly appointed President of the Mizoram Pradesh BJP, the leader has shared vision and strategy that hold significant importance. Dr. K. Beichhua has served as a general practitioner and later as Medical Superintendent at major hospitals in Mizoram. 

Question 1: You are the first sitting MLA to hold the position of BJP state president in Mizoram. What is your vision for developing the party in your tenure to make it more acceptable to the masses?

Dr. K. Beichhua : First of all, we have to create a grassroots revival. We have to visit all our blocks and units at the district/village level and create a strong organisational presence. Second, we have to create coordination and improve cooperation at all organisational levels. Third and most importantly, we have to counter the Congress’ propaganda, which paints the BJP as an anti-Christian party. Finally, we have to educate the people about the Prime Minister’s policy and how it could benefit them. This way, I think we will be able to convince the Mizo people that the BJP is the only party that can bring a developmental change in Mizoram, not the regional parties.

Question 2: There are apprehensions for the party in certain quarters. What is your strategy to expand the party’s influence in a predominantly Christian and opposition-led state, and also correct the perception of the BJP as “anti-Christian” raised by the Opposition parties?

Dr. K. Beichhua: See, in all the successive governments formed at the Centre, Christians are always accommodated and given ministerial berths. First it was KJ Alphons, then John Barla and now George Kurien. The BJP is also actively working with Christian communities in states like Kerala, where its acceptability among Christians is growing. This is a clear indication that the BJP is very much open to the idea of working actively with the Christian communities the same can be said of states like Nagaland and Meghalaya.

Unfortunately, in Mizoram, since we are isolated from mainland politics, the people are not aware of these initiatives. The Congress is also actively working to paint the BJP as an anti-Christian party, due to which people are still apprehensive. But that will change with time. We will inform the people about these initiatives in other states and at the Central level- we also have a proper plan to use social media for this purpose. It will take time, but the people will eventually understand as they are disillusioned with all the successive ruling parties.

After I assumed charge as President, our first initiative was to visit the NH06, which is the lifeline for Mizoram. We contacted the NHIDCL and requested them to give support to the State government’s PWD, which could not maintain a mere 40 km road. Starting from Monday, the NHIDCL will actively cooperate with the state government and the BJP President will be actively updated about the progress of roadbuilding by the NHIDCL. This initiative won applause from a large section of the Mizo and made them aware that the BJP is here to fight for development and not to be an anti-Christian party. Such activities I think, will convince the people here that the BJP is ready to fight for development.

Question 3: How does the party plan to balance local Mizo identity with the broader national vision of the BJP and its national integration?

Dr. K. Beichhua: You can come and visit our State office. We conduct prayer sessions, use traditional Mizo symbols in our banners and also named the state office as “Mipui Run” (The people’s office). The Central leadership is very flexible when it comes to all these matters. We want to build the BJP as a party that works for tribals and Christians, and the Central leadership is very accommodating when it comes to that.

Question 4: What are the major challenges you face in building the BJP in Mizoram?

Dr. K. Beichhua: As I have said, aside from perception, organisational revamp will be a challenge as the BJP does not have a strong urban base in Mizoram. We have a strong presence in the Autonomous District Council areas, but not in urban areas like Aizawl. But that is slowly changing, for example, we have recently had prominent citizens from Aizawl joining us, and we have many other people to induct in the coming weeks.

Question 5: What are the central schemes that you believe have benefited Mizoram the most under the BJP rule at the Centre since 2014?

Dr. K. Beichhua: PM-Kisan and PMAY have been very popular among the people here. But due to the bad implementation of other schemes and a lack of awareness, more needs to be done. We will work actively to check the implementation of central schemes by the state government.

Question 6: What is the party’s current relationship with the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM)? Do you envision going solo in the near future and fighting polls independently, or do you see scope for partnerships with regional allies?

Dr. K. Beichhua: We have a cordial relationship with all parties. The ball is in their court, whether they would like a deeper and more meaningful relationship. Regarding electoral alliances, that will depend on the political context. For instance, we have an alliance with the MNF in the Lai Autonomous District Council but in other areas, we go independently. So, it is all context-specific.

Question 7: How important is the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the development of Mizoram and Northeast India as a whole?

Dr. K. Beichhua: There is a growing appreciation of the PM in recent years as people have seen India’s power increasing worldwide, and also their standards of living growing- many are attributing this to the UPI system, which eased the flow of transactions for small businesses here.

The PM’s prompt response to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor is also admired by the people here. I think that applies to the Northeast states as well. The people are seeing a PM that is very active, and I think the prompt delivery of essential services by the Central government speaks for itself

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