Shillong, Nov 28: The A·chik State People’s Front (ASPF) has written to Governor CH Vijayashankar to press him for a separate tribal electoral roll that would lead to the removal of non-tribals in standing and voting in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) election next year.
Although the GHADC is meant to safeguard the rights, land and cultural practices of the Garo tribe, there is no bar on non-Garos standing for election, becoming MDCs or voting in the polls.
In a long letter, the ASPF said that the current practice – whereby the state’s electoral roll is considered valid for GHADC elections – “threatens to undermine decades of constitutional jurisprudence and the solemn commitments made to Scheduled Tribes by the framers of the Constitution.”
The pressure group painted a picture of doom, saying that the inclusion of non-tribal voters disrupts the foundational purpose of the GHADC, violates tribal autonomy, threatens customary institutions, creates a dangerous precedent “for further erosion of tribal protections”, may provoke community tensions, etc.
The ASPF urged the Governor to issue immediate orders for preparation of a distinct electoral roll for the GHADC.
