Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan, who was in office for nine months and nine days, has admitted that he had undergone tremendous mental trauma in Mizoram.
“But there was no alternative, and I had to abide by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions,” Mr Kummanam told this paper in a phone interview from Delhi.
He is awaiting the central election committee's announcement of his candidature from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
He feels that Sabarimala issue will be a decisive factor in the elections and said he was returning to Kerala after gaining a lot of administrative experience.
Question: Are you excited to be back in Kerala and be a candidate from Thiruvananthapuram?
A: Of course, I am elated to return to my homeland. But I have been visiting Kerala almost every month. There has been a clamour from the RSS and BJP leaders that I should contest the elections. I will take up any responsibility as decided by the central leadership. A final decision on my seat has to be taken by the central leadership. BJP is a force to reckon with as Sabarimala issue will play a decisive role in this election. It was the BJP alone which stood by the Ayyappa devotees.
Q: How challenging was your assignment in Mizoram?
A: Initially, I was looked upon as an outsider and branded as a Hindu leader. But I gradually won their confidence and I decided to learn the Mizo language, Mizo ?awng. I underwent a lot of mental trauma as I was not prepared for a stint in Mizoram. There was no alternative, but to abide by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions. So I decided to take up the challenge and learned everything from scratch. In fact, my predecessors were mostly Lt-governors who had experience in administration. I had zero administrative experience as I have been a social activist.
I could learn their different culture, history, north-eastern festivals etc. There may be fewer than 300 Malayalis in Mizoram and most of them work in banks or as school teachers.
Everything in Mizoram is different compared to our state, and it is rainy season for six months. Though there were no floods, landslides occur frequently. In Kerala I was approachable to everyone and could meet the people easily. But there if I see someone in the street, I cannot ask my driver to stop the car. I missed our sambar / aviyal and other traditional Kerala dishes. I used to relish food from our humble thattukada. I could have taken a cook from Kerala. But there are close to 10 - 20 staffers at the Raj Bhavan in Mizoram and I did not want to displace them.
Q: What will be your election strategy?
A: I had to prepare the Governor’s address in the 12th budget session of the 40-member Mizoram Assembly. So I was busy with the speech preparation which had to be handed over to my successor. After my two days’ stay in New Delhi, I will reach Thiruvananthapuram airport at 10:30 am on Tuesday. I understand that the BJP district leadership is organising a reception for me. First let me hold talks with the state leaders and I will come up with a plan of action. During my Mizoram stint, I was in the dark as to how the party and RSS workers were functioning. If I am contesting from Thiruvananthapuram, it will be a triangular fight.
