SHILLONG: With the Meghalaya Government making it clear that it was not keen on a division of the State, the move of the banned GNLA to hold talks with the State Government has hit a roadblock. For, the creation of a separate Garo state is the key demand of the militant outfit.
Deputy Chief Minister RC Laloo made it clear in the Assembly on Tuesday in response to a resolution moved by the Opposition member Clifford Marak of GNC that there was no question of dividing Meghalaya.
GNLA and other splinter groups have demanded Garoland, a separate state for the people of Garo Hills.
Though the initial demand of ANVC, which is currently under ceasefire, was for Garoland, the militant outfit scaled down to the strengthening of autonomous district councils.
Laloo told the Assembly on Tuesday that the issue of demand for Garoland had been exploited by many militant groups in the State, even though ulterior motives were quite different. “It is more appropriate to have civilized discussions over the matter than to take to arms or resort to agitation straightaway without availing of the constitutional means”, he said.
According to Laloo, one factor that has caused a major setback to the progress of Garo Hills is the scourge of insurgency. “Militant groups have mushroomed in the region and have resorted to reckless violence which has caused immense hardship to the people living there”, he said The Deputy Chief Minister said that while the professed objective of these outfits is stated to be the autonomy for the region, the actual purpose is “nothing but extortion and garnering easy money through use of force, intimidation, and violence perpetrated on our own community and innocent people”.
According to Laloo, activities of militants have delayed the implementation of government programmes and schemes, escalated the cost of projects, affected employment opportunities and thereby the income generation capacity of people, fuelled communal tensions; and disturbed the entire social fabric of
the society. This would have a long lasting effect on the public psyche and would take a
great deal of time and effort to come out of it. “The sooner it is able to get out of this cult
of violence, the better it would be for the Garo society”, he asserted.
He also urged the militant groups in Garo Hills to be part of the draft peace pact which the Government had already entered with ANVC and ANVC-B.
