Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has described the issue of non-tribal participation in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) polls as “complicated” and one that requires careful consideration. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sangma said, “It is a complicated subject, there is no doubt about it and for many, many years this has been debated and previous governments in the past, this challenge has always been there.”
The Chief Minister highlighted the complexities surrounding the issue, citing the purpose of the ADCs, voting rights, and the impact of decisions made by previous governments. “Who is supposed to serve versus decisions made by the governments then to allow the voting when the council was formed – so it is a very complex problem, it is not something which one can just simply move forward and say we are going to stand here, we are going to do this and that – it has got multiple complications, connotation and impacts at all levels,” he said.
Sangma assured that his party, the National People’s Party (NPP) is actively examining the issue and engaging in discussions to find a balanced solution. “As a party, of course, we always discuss and debate all these aspects and we will continue to examine and see how we can move forward in this in a manner in which we are able to carry everybody along and come to some kind of a conclusive decision which will be balanced or something which people can agree to,” he said.