Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reconsider the appointment of Renu Sharma as the new chief secretary of the state, saying she does not know the Mizo language, India Today reported on Monday.
In a letter to Shah, dated October 29, the chief minister also noted that several ministers in his Cabinet do not understand Hindi.
Sharma, a senior Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1988 batch, was appointed by the Centre on October 28 to take charge as the chief secretary of Mizoram from November 1. But, on the same day, the Mizoram government directed JC Ramthanga to take charge as chief secretary from November 1.
In the letter, Zoramthanga pointed out that some of his Cabinet colleagues even face difficulty understanding English.
“With such background, a chief secretary without the knowledge of a working standard Mizo language will never be an effective and efficient chief secretary,” Zoramthanga said in his letter. “Due to this fact, the government of India never posted a chief secretary who does not know the working standard of Mizo language since the creation of the state of Mizoram.”
The chief minister said it was a “well-known fact” that a chief secretary who does not know the basic working language of the state is never posted there.
The Mizoram chief minister urged Shah to appoint Ramthanga as the new chief secretary. Zoramthanga told the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader that he has been a “faithful partner” of the National Democratic Alliance since the start.
He said Opposition parties would make a mockery of his faithfulness if his request was not accepted. “I, therefore earnestly request you to modify the order and kindly accept my proposal,” the letter said.
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