By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 17: The Meghalaya BJP on Tuesday accused its allies of deliberately sidelining its representatives during a reshuffle in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
BJP state vice president Bernard N. Marak said two BJP MDCs—he and Benedict Marak—were kept completely out of consultations on the no-confidence motion that triggered the change in leadership and subsequent formation of the new Executive Committee.
He indicated that such exclusion, despite the BJP being a component in the National People’s Party-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, exposes a serious breakdown in coalition coordination.
He said the two BJP MDCs were present during the election of the new Chief Executive Member and they openly supported the new leadership. However, despite that, they were denied a role in the decision-making process.
Marak referred to a crucial closed-door meeting of the NPP, Trinamool Congress and Congress at the Circuit House in Tura, attended by senior leaders, including PHE Minister Marcuise N. Marak, where BJP MDCs were conspicuously excluded.
In a striking contradiction, Marak said, the same parties have now publicly aligned themselves on key issues that were originally raised by the BJP, including making Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate mandatory for contesting the council’s election and amending Rule 8 of the ADC rules.
He said adopting the BJP’s core demands and shutting out its elected representatives exposed a “selective political convenience” that undermines both credibility and trust.
Warning of deeper implications, Marak said the GHADC is under intense public scrutiny and any perception of backroom exclusion or opportunistic alignment risks eroding faith in the institution. He maintained that alliance partners cannot expect political support while bypassing consultation, adding that the BJP’s mandate in the council must be respected in both letter and spirit.
Meanwhile, state BJP general secretary Wankitbok Pohshna stressed that the six-month extension of the GHADC’s term should be used to strengthen legal safeguards, protecting tribal representation and governance.
Pohshna said the council must treat the additional time not merely as an administrative requirement but as a responsibility to reinforce the institution’s constitutional role. He stressed the need to amend Rule 128 by introducing sub-clauses that would ensure only members of the Scheduled Tribes are eligible to contest GHADC elections.
He argued that such a provision would not be exclusionary, but a protective step aimed at safeguarding the rights, identity, and heritage of the Garo people.
Pohshna further stated that the extension offers an opportunity to reaffirm the collective duty to strengthen democratic institutions so that they continue to function as instruments of local self-governance and cultural preservation.
Describing the GHADC as a “living embodiment of tribal rights,” he said the council must be fortified to withstand emerging challenges rather than be allowed to weaken over time.
