Tura, Feb 27: The Garos living in Assam’s Kamrup and Goalpara districts have stpped up thier demand for autonomous council. The Garo National Union has threatned to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Pro-Vice Chancellor of ICFAI University, Meghalaya and a noted Garo activist, Milton Sangma said, “We will be serving an ultimatum to Assam government to address our demands in a limited time-frame, if they fail to adhere, we will resort to all kinds of agitations”.
He stated that Garos in Assam feel cheated as chief minister Tarun Gogoi has failed to keep his word.
“Gogoi had assured us that Garos are deserving and now the government is contemplating to constitute a Garo development corporation. We will never accept this”, said Sangma.
Different Garo organisations in two districts of Assam have been holding a series of meeting to chalk out their future course of action. They have sought for an audience with Tarun Gogoi and is waiting for an appointment.
“The demand for a separate council for the Garos is a long felt need of the people. At all cost, we will stick to our demand. If Tarun Gogoi fails to give us an assurance, we will boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Kamrup and Goalpara”, Sangma added.
The Garo National Union is demanding creation of a separate council by including Garo dominated villages of Kamrup and Goalpara. At present the areas fall under the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC).
There are about 390 Garo villages in the two districts.
“Garos are socio-economically deprived of various government benefits. It is high time the government considers our demand seriously”, said Sangma.
In last year’s RHAC election, the area witnessed protest and severe agitation by the Garos.
Milton Sangma asserted that demand for the council was raised in 2004, a year after the Garos were accorded ST status.
“We are not against anybody. We only want our demand to be given due consideration”, said Sangma.
In Meghalaya, militant outfits are demanding for creation of a separate homeland for the Garos, which even includes Garo dominated area of Assam. However, Assam based Garo organisation are opposed to this idea.
A’chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC), which is holding peace parley with the government had demanded inclusion of Assam villages in their proposed Garoland state. However, they have scaled down their demand, after the “agreed text of settlement” was inked on January 5, 2013.
The Garos were granted the Scheduled Tribe (Plains) status in 2002. They have a population of around three lakhs in the two districts and about six lakhs in Assam.
Garo language was recognized by the British government way back in 1923.
Milton Sangma said, “Garo Autonomous Council was the need as the customs, culture and identity of the tribe has to be protected. The Garos are matrilineal people and the property rights in the society are vested with the women”.
The union has based its demand on the premise that the community, despite being a major indigenous group of the state, has been treated unequally in comparison to groups such as Rabha Hasong, Tiwa, Mising, Sonowal Kachari, Deori and Thengal Kachari who have their own autonomous councils.(SP News)
