Tripathi to take oath as Mizoram Governor on April 4

Aizawl, April 1: West Bengal and Bihar governor K.N. Tripathi, given the additiol charge of Mizoram, will be sworn in here on April 4, officials said Wednesday. “Tripathi will arrive here on Saturday and he will be sworn in at the Raj Bhavan at 4 p.m. that day,” Mizoram government spokesman L.R. Sailo told IANS. Outgoing governor Aziz Qureshi, sacked by the central government last week, will leave the state on April 4 morning. Meanwhile, students groups in Mizoram have announced protests against frequent changes of governors in the state. The Congress-ruled Mizoram has the distinction of having seen seven governors in eight months. The Mizo Zirlai Pawl or Mizo Students Federation (MSF), the apex body of student organisations in the state, said on Tuesday that it would hold protests in front of central government offices here and organise protest rallies when President Prab Mukherjee visits the state on April 9-10. “The spate of sackings and transfers of Mizoram governors is disrespectful and shows how the central government looks down upon Mizos,” MZP general secretary Ramdinlia Renthlei said in a statement. He said: “The MZP cannot quietly accept the fact that the centre uses the state to dump governors it dislikes or wants to resign. Our land is not a place where you can just throw what you consider garbage.” The MZP said it would protest outside Raj Bhavan when Tripathi arrives for the swearing-in ceremony. “The MZP would also lay siege to all central government offices in Aizawl to stop employees from entering them and put up black flags on all buildings accommodating these offices,” the statement said. The president is to be the chief guest at the ninth annual convocation of Mizoram University on April 10. (IANS)