Shillong July 21: The demand of sub-tribes in Meghalaya – Hajongs, Rabhas, Kochs, Boro-Kacharis and Mann from the Union government to create a separate District Council for them has been strongly objected by organizations in Garo Hills.

In a joint statement issued here, Garo Students’ Union (GSU) president, Tengsak G. Momin, Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE) president, Dalseng Bira Ch. Momin, A’chik Youth Welfare Organization (AYWO) general secretary, Sengbath Ch. Marak and Federation of Khasi Jaiñtia and Garo People (FKJGP) Garo Hills Zone president, Pritam Marak said that the GSU, FKJGP, ADE and AYWO has out rightly rejected and condemned all the demands made by those organizations while terming the demands “unfounded and irrational.”

“Neither does these tribes have evident number of population to demand for a separate District Council nor reservation in the existing District Council,” the statement said.

Earlier some organizations from the sub-tribes Hajongs, Rabhas, Kochs, Boro-Kacharis and Mann, met Union Minister for DoNER, Jitendra Singh and demanded a separate District Council for them.

On job reservation policy, the statement said, “if they want more reservation in government jobs, they should rather approach the state/central government. Perhaps these organizations are living in a world so disconnected to reality that they have not noticed that the GHADC have more than one year salary pending to be paid to its employees. The concern at the moment is, whether a blanket ban on any appointment should be made in the GHADC. The GHADC has not and should never introduce any job reservation policy in future as well which will affect all other District Councils and Territorial Councils in the whole of North East India.”

On the demand for a separate Goanbura (headman), the Garo organizations said that there can be no justification to the demand for a separate Gaonbura under the Garo A’king land in the District Council since the Nokma is the custodian of the land. It is an act trying to undermine the power of the traditional heads which is the Nokma. This suggestion will never be tolerated by us. The Garo community has always respected other STs living in Garo Hills but, such unacceptable demands by a few group of people is testing the patience of the tolerant Garos. These so called organizations, seems to be agents, working to create disharmony in Garo Hills.

Recalling that various Garo organizations had opposed in the past the participation of non-tribals in the GHADC elections, the statement said, “we did question the participation of other STs in the GHADC elections. The current insensitive actions of few unscrupulous organizations are forcing us to reconsider our stand on who should be legitimate voters and contestants in GHADC elections.”