TURA: A rift appears to have surfaced within the leadership of the Garo National Council (GNC), the oldest political party in the Garo Hills region, with the Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC) deciding to back the Congress in the Lok Sabha election to the Tura seat.
The GSMC is an offshoot of the GNC with the former’s leadership being part of the political party.
The apparent rift came to the fore with media reports claiming a youth leader of GNC who wanted to support Congress candidate Mukul Sangma for the Tura seat.
However, the GNC on Saturday said the member made the comments in his individual capacity.
Senior GNC leader and member of the GHADC Augustine R Marak informed The Shillong Times that the party has not extended support to the Congress.
His statement comes in the backdrop of a meeting in Chokpot in South Garo Hills on Friday where one of its party leaders, who heads the movement for a separate Garoland state, came out in support of the Congress.
“We in the GNC have not supported the Congress in this election. Whatever announcement was made by one of our leaders was perhaps in his individual capacity which is something we as a party cannot stop,” said Augustine.
The chairman of the GSMC, Nikman Ch Marak, in the presence of Congress MLA from Chokpot Lazarus Sangma, had backed Mukul’s candidature.
Nikman had contested last year’s Assembly election from Baghmara constituency on a GNC ticket, but was defeated by Independent candidate Samuel M Sangma.
Clearing the air on the confusion surrounding the GNC and himself, Nikman informed that it is not the GNC, but the GSMC that has decided to support the Congress.
GNC has been advocating bifurcation of the state into separate Garo and Khasi states.
“After the demise of PA Sangma the NPP had distanced themselves from our core demand for Garoland state. They are now in power, but not even once have they raised the issue in government,” said Nikman.
He said though both the Congress and the NPP are formidable political forces in the state, none has included the Garoland issue in their manifesto for the upcoming polls and the GSMC’s decision ought to be a wakeup call to political parties for making ‘false’ promises.
“No single party is supporting us, but Congress has promised not to bring the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which is an issue that has ramifications for the future of our indigenous population, demography and land. That is why we in the GSMC have decided to back the party in this election,” Nikman added.
