TURA:
The talks between a government delegation led by the chief advisor to the chief minister and Garo protest groups to resolve the impasse over GHADC chief executive member Rakesh A Sangma ended in failure on Monday night after the protestors failed to give any concrete assurance to end their siege of the district council.
The government delegation led by North Tura MLA and chief adviser to the chief minister, Thomas A Sangma, had invited the leaders of the protesting groups for a meeting on Monday evening at Tura circuit house to end the over two-week-long agitation seeking the removal of the newly elected chief executive member.
Accompanying the chief adviser were Meghalaya Assembly Deputy Chairman Timothy D Shira, senior Williamnagar legislator Marcuise N Marak and Siju-Rongara MLA Rakkam A Sangma.
From the side of the protesting organisations, leaders from as many as ten groups, including a delegation of Nokmas or land chieftains and women members attended the meeting which was a closed door event that barred media and others from covering it.
Coming out of the two-hour-long meeting, president of the FKJGP Garo Hills unit, Pritam Marak told The Meghalayan that the meeting had ended inconclusively.
Expressing disappointment, he said, “They (government) wanted us to withdraw our ongoing agitation with an assurance that they would get back to us on our demands within the next 2-3 days. We rejected that proposal because right from the start of our protests our primary condition has been for the removal of the new CEM Rakesh A Sangma. We will not go back on our word.” The FKJGP leader also questioned the absence of the GHADC MDCs and the barring of the media from covering such an important event related to Garo society.
“The biggest stakeholders happen to be our Garo society and our elected MDCs who were missing from such a crucial meeting. We demanded to know the reason for their absence,” he mentioned.
The government delegation reportedly told the organisation leaders that the huge turnout by protestors who marched to the circuit house from the GHADC had caused “fear” and “insecurity” among the members.
The government delegation, on its part, told the protest leaders that their demands had been duly noted and a response would be given within the next three days.
The response of Thomas A Sangma failed to turn heads as the protest leaders, in response, pointed out that if the state could wait and watch the uprising for the past 20 long days, then surely another three days would not hurt them.
The protest groups have put forward five demands before the delegation to take up with the government.
“Our primary demand is the removal of the CEM Rakesh A Sangma, disbursement of salaries of employees on a regular basis, revoking the recent suspension and termination of services of council employees, setting up of a separate electoral roll solely for the district council with tribal voters only and the completion of the codification process of the Garo Customary Laws,” announced FKJGP President Pritam Marak, Garo Students’ Union President Tengsak G Momin and president of Association for Democracy and empowerment Dalseng Bira Ch Momin in unison after conclusion of the failed talks.
The protesting groups have further announced that the ongoing office picketing of the GHADC would continue all through this week, until the government responds to their demand.