Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), Chief Executive Member (CEM) Rakesh Sangma has decided to step down from the post following mounting protests over his appointment.
Sources said the CEM will tender his resignation and a new leader will be selected to take over on Monday.
Garo Hills had endured several forms of protests for three weeks led by pressure groups against his election as CEM.
Rakesh was elected as the district council chief after he defeated his fellow party man and Raksamgre MLA, Benedic Marak in a trust vote in January.
However, pressure groups from Garo Hills have vehemently opposed the new CEM because, they claim, that he and his family do not follow Garo customs and traditions as they are more influenced by Rakesh’s father’s Nepali roots.
According to the pressure groups, Rakesh was formerly known as Rakesh Newar Sangma and only recently adopted the ‘A’ for A’gitok after filing an affidavit.
The protests which began from office picketing of council office for a week went on to a bandh call and then escalated into protest rallies across different parts of Garo Hills.
The escalated protests reached a peak when protesters started shouting slogans and waving black flags against chief minister Conrad K Sangma on his latest visit to Garo Hills for various programmes.
All this while, the Chief Minister maintained that Rakesh had been duly elected according to the norms of the council. Even if Rakesh did not have any Garo blood, there would have been no bar on him being CEM; non-tribals are free to vote and stand for election in the GHADC, which is a sore point for many pressure groups.
