Silchar, Feb. 16: Mizo National Front (MNF), the principal Opposition party in Mizoram, has called a 12-hour bandh on February 25 to protest against "fiscal mismanagement" by the ruling Congress.

MNF vice-president Tawnluia said in Aizawl today that "fiscal impropriety and the occasional profligacy in spending budgetary fund provisions" by the Congress had come as a shock to the Mizos and his party would orchestrate a total bandh on February 25 against such indiscipline in maintaining "the budget allotments". The bandh will start from 5am.

Tawnluia said MNF volunteers would organise pickets on the bandh day and also ensure that traffic remained off the roads.

Citing an example of such "financial profligacy", a source in the MNF said the government had last year suddenly purchased luxury vehicles for the state's ministers and parliamentary secretaries at the cost of Rs 3.41 crore though the vehicles earlier used by the ministers were trouble-free.

Tawnluia also said his party did not have any objection to repatriation of Bru refugees but they should be brought back to the state only after a thorough scrutiny of their bona fide residential status in Mizoram.