TURA: Chairman of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, Boston Marak, said on Thursday he would form the next executive committee with members from different political parties but ruled out resigning from NPP.
“This will be a popular government in the District Council having representation from different parties. We have already formed the United Democratic Alliance”, Marak told The Shillong Times shortly after the fall of the NPP-led alliance on Thursday.
The new alliance will have the Congress, breakaway members of the GNC and NPP and Independents. The alliance is claiming the support of 16 MDCs against the NPP alliance’s 13.
There are 29 elected MDCs with one post for a nominated member.
When pointed out about possible action against him by the party for the rebellion, he replied, “I am not worried. I was unhappy with the party leadership in the Council. I will not resign from the NPP.”
Marak denied the accusations that he had betrayed the P.A Sangma family and was controlled by the Congress to break NPP. “In politics anything is possible,” he said.
“I was not the only one who rebelled. There were others in the alliance too who were unhappy. The council staff had not been paid their salaries for nine months and there was no transparency in the recent release of central funds amounting to over a hundred crores of rupees,” he added.
Marak also rebutted the NPP allegations that he had attempted to help certain Congress politicians by stalling the Garo Customary Law Bill from being passed.
“This is not true at all because the Customary Law Bill was placed in the House and passed after a debate and vote during my chairmanship,” said Marak.
