Zoramthanga celebrates 81st b’day, guv VK Singh wishes good health

Aizawl: Former Mizoram CM and president of Mizo National Front (MNF), Zoramthanga, on Sunday celebrated his 81st birthday. The veteran politician received warm wishes from governor Gen VK Singh, who took to Instagram to offer his congratulations."Congratulations and warmest wishes to Pu Zoramthanga on your special day. May you be blessed with excellent health, profound happiness, and many more years of continued wisdom and strength," Singh wrote.Zoramthanga was born on July 13, 1944, in the small village of Samthang in Champhai district, bordering Myanmar. His political journey began in 1966, when he joined the erstwhile underground MNF.He became a close confidante of MNF supremo Laldenga, rising to the position of second-in-command. Following the historic Mizo Accord signed on June 30, 1986, Zoramthanga led a contingent of MNF insurgents from their headquarters in the then Arakan state of Burma (now Myanmar) to Mizoram to lay down their arms.Zoramthanga was inducted as a minister during the six-month interim govt, where MNF shared power with Congress. Mizoram was elevated to a full-fledged state on Feb 20, 1987, and he continued as a minister, holding portfolios including finance and education.After a decade in political wilderness, MNF allied with the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC), won the 1998 assembly elections, leading to Zoramthanga's first term as chief minister.