Governor convenes special session today for vote on no-confidence motion against CEM Albinush Marak
Our Bureau
SHILLONG/TURA, March 15: A major political shift is unfolding in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), with MDCs from the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) joining hands in a move to change the leadership of the council.
Party sources confirmed that the MDCs of the NPP and TMC are seeking to replace the current Chief Executive Member (CEM) and form a new Executive Council (EC) in the GHADC.
Sources said the MDCs backing the move have met Governor C.H. Vijayashankar and apprised him of the developments surrounding the proposed leadership change.
The GHADC has 29 elected members and one nominated member. Sources said the combined strength of NPP and TMC members currently stands at 23, giving the bloc a decisive majority in the council.
The GHADC will hold a special session on Monday to vote on a no-confidence motion after the Governor received a petition signed by 21 MDCs, stating that they have lost confidence in the CEM, Albinush Marak.
The letter, submitted on Saturday, sought a special session over the matter, which was subsequently granted. The District Council Affairs (DCA) Department later announced the order.
The order stated that, in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-rule (5) of Rule 36 of the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, as amended by the GHADC, the Governor of Meghalaya summoned a session on March 16 at 11 AM in the District Council Hall, Tura, to conduct proceedings under Rule 22(1) and any subsequent business deemed necessary.
The GHADC Chairman will preside over the session in accordance with the relevant rules of the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951.
The developments come even as the tenure of the present council is scheduled to end on April 18. However, the final decision on the future of the council will be taken by the state government.
According to sources, the government is also weighing the possibility of extending the tenure of the council in view of the prevailing situation.
Under the law governing autonomous district councils, the term may be extended under extraordinary circumstances such as emergencies or natural calamities, subject to the approval of the Governor.
At the same time, some members have maintained that in the absence of a formally declared emergency, any move to extend the council’s tenure could face legal scrutiny.
It may be recalled that the state government had postponed elections to the GHADC following unrest in the Garo Hills region over the participation of non-tribal candidates in the council polls.
No-confidence against CEM not right: Bernard
Tura MDC Bernard N. Marak on Sunday said that his party would support the Scheduled Tribe (ST) issue in the GHADC and amendments to Rules 8 and 128, but maintained that the no-confidence motion being moved against the CEM did not appear appropriate.
He pointed out that the BJP leaders had approached the Governor to amend the AD rules through a special session. In that context, the move by the NPP and TMC to bring a no-confidence motion against the CEM, whose EC had notified the ST status issue, did not seem justified.
He added that the priority for the people of the Garo Hills was for a special session to be called to place the ST certificate requirement, making it mandatory in nominations for tribal elections.
“The people’s expectations and the actual purpose of the special session differ. This has created confusion among the people and civil society groups,” Marak said.
According to him, the ST issue should have been taken up first, and the no-confidence motion could have come later. He also alleged that the claim that all political parties were on board was not entirely accurate, as the BJP had not been informed about the move to bring the no-confidence motion.
“It should have been all Garos on board rather than claiming that all political parties were on board,” he said.
