The Meghalaya Chamber of Commerce (MCC) today said that BJP vice-president and MDC, Bernard N Marak has no role in the organisation and denied its involvement in rise of price of essential commodities in Tura.
“The police under the behest of persons best known to them, having political vendetta against the association is making an attempt to link the involvement of Bernard with the Meghalaya Chamber of Commerce, which is condemnable and vehemently denied,” MCC general secretary, Anish M Sangma in a statement said.
West Garo Hills police through its confidential enquiry had revealed that the MCC run by Bernard aided by Wilver Dango M. Marak, Anish M. Sangma, Patcheng T. Sangma etc. was the cause of hike in price of essential commodities in Tura. Police said the organisation was involved in illegal collection from shopekeepers and threatening non-tribal businessmen to obtain NOC without which their Trading by Non-Tribal (TNT) License cannot be renewed.
However, the MCC said the allegations were made with ill-motive and clear intent to defame and tarnish its image.
“The Meghalaya Chamber of Commerce is an elected body, which was originally formed in the year 1985, taking into account the plight of the traders and to bridge the gap between the traders and the end- consumers and for which it still stands tall and has no role to play in price fixation nor has played any role in the hike of any consumer nor food items like snacks, vegetables, fish, meat, fruits, eggs, sweets, confectionaries etc. in Garo Hills,” Sangma said.
Stating that Superintendent of Police, Vivekanand Sing Rathore chose to target and name only vulnerable and gullible tribals belonging to the Garo Tribe, who have no role to play in any such illegal and unlawful activities, the organisation stated that they are being harassed and by the SP, which depicts his in-tolerance and hate attitude towards tribal people of the State.
“Such kind of act on the part of the police is a clear attempt to curtail the rights and functioning of a duly formed association and in flagrant violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of India,” Sangma said.
He further added that the organisation under its former president, Wilver Dango had strongly opposed the hike of price in sweets and confectionary items by the Sweets and Confectionaries Association of Tura in a local English daily on May 12, 2022.
