SHILLONG, MAR 18: The demand for a separate Garo state was rejected by the Meghalaya assembly through voice votes during the ongoing budget session on Tuesday.
The lone Garo National Council (GNC) legislator Clifford R Marak had moved a resolution during Tuesday assembly session and Meghalaya speaker AT Mondal put the issue to voice votes which was defeated. Marak had been demanding for a separate Garo state which seems to have few takers among the legislators.
Justifying moving a resolution on separate Garo state, Marak told the assembly, “The demand for separate Garoland state was raised due to lack of economic development and also due to linguistic barriers with the Khasi-Jaintia tribes inhabiting eastern Meghalaya.”
Moving the motion, Marak said that if the Meghalaya government is willing, they can take up the issue with the centre and help achieve the goal for creation of a Garoland state.
The Hills State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), who is similarly championing the cause for a separate Khas and Jaintia state, supported the GNC motion. HSPDP president and legislator Hopingstone Lyngdoh said there is need to bifurcate Meghalaya due to major differences in languages, cultures, customs, traditions, local governance and even land holding system, which has necessitated the need for separate states for the Khasis-Jaintias and the Garos.
However, baring Lyngdoh the three other HSPDP legislators did not take part in the discussion.
Predictably, Meghalaya deputy chief Minister RC Laloo, holding revenue portfolio, argued that further division of the state would increase the social and economic vulnerability of the people.
Replying to the motion , Laloo said, “Further division of the state would place even more constraints on our resources. The developmental process will further suffer. For the viability of a state, a certain mass in terms of area and population becomes necessary.”
Laloo, however, questioned, “In the name of preservation and protection of that identity, should we split split the state into the political units aligned on the basis of tribal clans and sub-clans? Would that not take us back surely to the Stone Age again? Would that characterise us a civilized society.”.
Claiming that the Garo hills region has witnessed significant improvement in its socio-economic profile since the emergence of Meghalaya, Laloo said the region sends 24 decisive legislators in the 60-member Assembly, besides having its own autonomous district council.
Laloo, however, admitted that insurgency has caused a damaged to the progress of Garo hills as it has resulted in delay in implementation of government programmes and schemes, affecting employment opportunities and fuelled communal tensions, and disturbed the entire social fabric of the society.- By Our Reporter
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