SHILLONG, MAR 18: The Congress party rejected the recent state government’s six month extension of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) by six months after violent protests over non-tribal participation saying the chief minister should have called for an all-party meeting first.
Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) working president Deborah Marak said the party “never endorsed” the move and that a shorter, targeted approach was possible.
“Six months is very long,” Marak told reporters on Wednesday.
She argued that elections could have proceeded in 27 of 29 seats except Shyamnagar and Balachanda, the two constituencies at the centre of a dispute over non‑tribal participation.
“They could have suspended these two constituencies, allowed polls elsewhere, and let a new executive committee find a good mechanism to solve the ongoing problem,” she said.
Marak said Congress supports the Achik demand that non‑tribals should not contest in Shyamnagar and Balachanda and expressed frustration that Chief Minister Conrad Sangma “did not call an all‑party meeting,” which she said would have allowed input on limiting suspension to those seats.
“The chief minister should have called an all‑party meeting, but he did not. We could have given inputs — we would have suggested suspending elections only in Shyamnagar and Balachanda and allowing the rest to go ahead. He took a decision on his own. As a party (we feel) the best way forward would have been to suspend those two constituencies and let elections be held elsewhere.”
She acknowledged multiple arrests in Garo Hills but said details remained unclear.
“We learned about the arrests but not how many or their names. The government and law enforcement will act.”
Calling the recent Garo Hills incident unfortunate, Marak reiterated that Congress favoured holding elections immediately in all but the two disputed constituencies.
In addition, MPCC secretary Manuel Badwar said the GHADC should amend its rules so only tribal candidates contest elections.
“When the autonomous district councils (ADCs) were formed under Sixth Schedule, late Jawaharlal Nehru was very clear the ADCs is to ensure tribals have their own form of governance…right to govern their own land and people.”
He linked the demand to demographic shifts in Shyamnagar and Balachanda and said constitutional protections already granted “should have been followed.”
Badwar noted Tura MP Saleng Sangma had met the Governor, who showed “inclination towards sorting out this problem,” and said the council could pass amendments with the Governor’s assent.
He attributed years of inaction to “lack of political will” and statesmanship rather than any single party, adding that census‑based analysis would help document population change.
“We cannot keep sleeping on this,” Badwar said while emphasizing that “immediate action and proper measures have to be taken,” with corrections coming from the government, district council and Governor.
By Our Reporter
