Shillong, March 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party unit in Meghalaya on March 12 asserted that no infiltrator should be allowed to contest elections anywhere in the country, including the polls to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, stating that the institution was established to safeguard the rights of indigenous communities.
State BJP president Rikman G Momin said the GHADC, constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, was meant to protect the land, rights and self-governance of indigenous tribes, and these safeguards should not be weakened.
Momin stated that infiltrators should not be permitted to take part in any democratic process, whether it is elections to tribal autonomous district councils, state assemblies or Parliament.
The opposition Voice of the People’s Party also raised concerns over the participation of non-Garo individuals in the council elections and urged the government to uphold the constitutional protections meant for indigenous communities.
Momin further alleged that infiltrators were attempting to enter the electoral process in tribal areas by marrying into local communities and obtaining identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards and ration cards to project themselves as legitimate residents. He claimed that such practices represented a systematic attempt to undermine tribal identity, rights and the electoral system, adding that the party was considering stricter legal measures to address the issue.
The remarks came amid rising tensions in the Garo Hills region over the now-postponed GHADC elections, which witnessed protests and violence in parts of West Garo Hills. Officials said two people were killed during clashes linked to the participation of non-tribal candidates in the council polls, prompting authorities to impose curfew and deploy security forces in the area.
The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, headquartered in Tura, is among the autonomous district councils created under the Sixth Schedule to ensure administrative autonomy and protect the customs, traditions and land rights of tribal communities.
Momin added that the BJP’s central leadership stood firmly with the indigenous communities of Meghalaya and assured that the Centre was ready to assist the state government in restoring peace in the Garo Hills region.
