SHILLONG: The ANVC-B said on Tuesday its demand for Garoland will continue at the political level but the need of the hour is a “bailout” for the district councils in the state.
Bernard N Marak, the disbanded group’s former leader, said in a statement that it would be “wrong to say that we gave up on Garoland demand”.
“Our talks still continue on the line of our primary demand but for now ADCs need to be bailed out. Saying ‘no’ to Garoland will be a total betrayal to the vows we made to our people… But since it is a political demand, we will pursue it at a political level,” he added.
Bernard’s statement comes days after ANVC leaders Dilash Marak and Wanding Marak said Greater Garoland was no longer their agenda. They had informed that ANVC’s demand had been scaled down to strengthening of GHADC.
According to the former rebel leader, the demand for Garoland is outside the purview of the Home Affairs Ministry whereas autonomous district councils are within its jurisdiction and so the Agreed Text for Settlement is focused on councils.
“The Agreed Text for Settlement was signed to first strengthen the existing ADCs and then they were to move politically with the demand for Garoland as talks were not at political level but at MHA level,” he said.
“That is one reason why Dilash and me joined BJP. We wanted to do away with the Congress for cheating us and for not acknowledging the aspirations of the people. Our people died yet there was no solution. The ceasefire was signed during BJP and the settlement was also done during BJP rule. The Congress played with their corrupt tactics for 10 years. We were obligated to BJP for fast tracking a decade old negotiation,” he added.
Asserting that there is a need for people to raise their voice rather than take up arms, Bernard called for “people with vast knowledge to lead the mass movement”.
