New Delhi: Once a dreaded militant and now a leading politician in the North East, Zoramthanga has completed writing his autobiography, which, he claims, will be a very controversial book and is likely to be objected to by both Pakistani and Chinese governments because of detailed accounts of their “support” for the insurgency in Mizoram.The two-volume book, to be called MILARI in Mizo, is currently being translated into English. The Mizo National Front president plans to turn it into a Hollywood movie in the future along the lines of legendary revolutionary Che Guevara.In an exclusive interview with the PTI, the two-time chief minister of Mizoram expressed confidence that his party would form the next government in the state. He said he will release the Mizo version of the book post the election results on December 11.“The book will have detailed descriptions of my 20 years of underground days, which will include how Dhaka failed in the capture of Lieutenant General A.A.K. Niazi’s one lakh troops by Indian forces,” he added.Zoramthanga informed PTI that MNF cadres were mixed in with commandoes from East Pakistan and were captured by Lieutenant General J.S. Arora, but later escaped and went into the jungle again.The autobiography will talk about “how we made a dare devil James Bond type escape to East Pakistan through Rangoon and through the Arakan forest marching for days and days, how we met Bhutto and started peace talks with the government of India in foreign countries”, he added.Zoramthanga said it will also mention about how he and MNF insurgents had gone to China and “met Premier Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, Lin Biao and Chiang Ching” along with other Chinese leaders.“…[Here we got] help from the Chinese government in the form of arms etc. This has to be recorded. Some of the publishers dare not publish these things. But anyhow, I have written these in Mizo language and it is now being translated (into English),” the MNF president said.Also Read: ‘I Won’t Need the BJP to Form Government in Mizoram’: ZoramthangaTalking about the release of the English version, he said: “I don’t not know. Translation is starting now. (It) depends upon when it is finished. Some Mizo professors are translating it. I believe that I will find a good publisher.” Expressing his desire to see his life on the screen, Zoramthanga said his autobiography has all the twists and turns to become an exciting Hollywood movie if any producer comes forward.He is not, however, interested in giving the book to Bollywood, as the Mumbai-based industry may not have the courage to showcase everything that includes MNF’s fights and strategies against the Indian government.“So in India, they may not like to make it into a Bollywood movie. But in the US, where they dare to make everything, I believe that it… will be a very good movie,” Zoramthanga said.The book is named after Zoramthanga’s daughter Milari. It is also an acrostic poem.“MI stands for Mizoram, LA stands for Lalpa, which means Lord, and R stands for arrangements – Remruatna arrangement. The last one ‘I’ is for myself. That is, Mizoram – the lord’s arrangements and myself.He informed PTI that he had dictated the autobiography to his stenographer, who typed it for him.When the Mizo Freedom Movement started in 1966, Zoramthanga joined the underground agitation.MNF’s secessionist movement came to an end in 1986, when it signed the Mizo Peace Accord with the government of India and created a separate state for the Mizos, called Mizoram.When the MNF formed the government in 1987 under the leadership of Laldenga, Zoramthanga looked after the finance and education departments. In 1990, when Laldenga died, he became the president of the MNF.In the Assembly elections of 1998, he led his party to victory and became the chief minister of Mizoram. He was re-elected in 2003 for a second consecutive term.This time around, MNF has fought in all the 40 constituencies during the Assembly polls, which took place on November 28, and the party is hoping to win over 25 seats.
