TURA: One of the youngest emerging politicians from the Congress party who won handsomely from Babelapara constituency in the last GHADC elections has been shunted out by his very own party and is now having to contest as an Independent.
The reason for his ouster has been blamed on Chief Minister Mukul Sangma who was allegedly peeved over the manner in which the controversial Codification of Garo Laws was stalled in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) when the Congress MDC was a part of the ruling group but had put his foot down on the issue.
“I was not given the Congress ticket for opposing the Garo Customary Law Bill in the Council,” alleged sitting Babelapara MDC Besterfield N Sangma who had once been a close confidante of the chief minister and was allotted the party ticket to contest against sitting MLA Saleng A Sangma from Gambegre in the 2013 Assembly polls.
The customary law bill drafted under the supervision of former NEHU Pro-Vice Chancellor, Dr. Milton S Sangma, had been marred in controversy since it had reportedly made provisions in the bill to acknowledge a child born to a non-tribal mother and a tribal father to be a tribal.
“I was the most vehement opposition to the introduction of the Garo Customary Law Bill from the ruling side and I had fought tooth and nail against it and warned that the entire Garo Hills region would burn in opposition to the proposed move,” revealed Besterfield Sangma while speaking to media persons after filing his nomination papers as an Independent from Babelapara.
He further claimed that Mukul Sangma moved for his ouster from the Congress EC to placate then Congress MLA Saleng Sangma who had by then began to express concern over his growing clout in the same constituency.
“When Dr Mukul Sangma needed the support of Congress MLAs for the post of CLP leader he approached Saleng Sangma who in turn demanded my removal from the EC in return for his vote. I was dropped and Saleng Sangma went on to become C&RD Minister as well as of the PWD,” revealed Besterfield Sangma.
It was much later that Saleng was denied the Congress ticket to contest from Gambegre seat in 2013 with Besterfield being groomed and allocated the party symbol only to lose to the sitting MLA.
