By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 18: Cabinet Minister and senior politician from Garo Hills, Timothy D. Shira, has asserted that allowing non-tribals to vote and participate in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) is a practice of the past, rooted in a spirit of brotherhood.
Stating that non-tribals have been voting and participating in the GHADC since its inception, the senior politician said that people “born yesterday” would not know the history that predates them.
Shira recalled that both Garos and non-tribals struggled together for independence irrespective of caste and creed, and that the spirit of brotherhood was strong during those times.
“So when the GHADC was constituted, our Garo leaders who struggled with non-tribals for independence stressed the need to allow non-tribals of Garo Hills to participate in the matters of the GHADC, and it is still continuing,” he said.
Acknowledging the feelings of today’s generation, who believe that non-tribals should not be allowed to participate in GHADC matters as it is meant only for the indigenous community, Shira recalled that some minority Muslim and even Nepali leaders were nominated as MDCs in the GHADC.
However, Shira acknowledged that in the present context, non-tribals may not have the right to vote, as the GHADC is meant for tribals only.
It may be mentioned that various organisations had recently aired opposition to the participation of non-tribals in the upcoming GHADC polls.
The Constitutional Rights Forum (CRF) had urged all political parties in the state not to allot party tickets to non-tribals to contest the upcoming GHADC elections scheduled for next year.
“As concerned citizens, we strongly oppose the participation of non-tribals in the upcoming MDC elections of the GHADC. We urge you to instruct your party to stop giving party tickets to non-tribals and oppose their participation,” it said in an appeal addressed to prominent parties such as the NPP, INC, UDP, TMC and NCP, among others.
The forum argued that the GHADC is a special institution for tribals, and non-tribal participation undermines their rights and interests.
Organisations from Phulbari in West Garo Hills, namely GSU, ASPF, FKJGP, AHAM, GOERA, ADIL, GSMC, AAYF, AYWO and AAYWS, have also appealed to all political parties to refrain from giving party tickets to non-tribals.
“Granting tickets to non-tribals goes against the very letter and spirit of the Sixth Schedule and risks setting a dangerous precedent for the future,” they argue.
