Assam: Garo organisations oppose the inclusion of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council area under sixth schedule

Garo organizations have strongly opposed the inclusion of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council area under the Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution.

Representatives from many Garo organizations which includes Garo National Council (GNC), Garo Youth Council (GYC), Garo Women Council (GWC), Garo National Union (GNU), Garo National Women Union (GNWU), All Assam Garo Gaonburha Association (AAGGA), A'Chik Socialist Youth Front of India (ASYFI), Garo Mother's Union (GMU) and many other organizations took part in a meeting at Santipur village under Chaygaon LAC on Wednesday, April 19, where they raised their opposition to the inclusion. 

It is to be mentioned that, Rabha organizations which includes All Rabha Students' Union, Rabha Women Council and Sixth Schedule Demand Committee also took out many protest rallies, meetings, mass gatherings for demand of inclusion in the RHAC area under the Sixth Schedule in Indian Constitution. 

Meanwhile, the matter about the protest of the Rabha bodies, MLA Durga Das Boro raised a question in the recent Assam State Assembly Session and the reply was given by the Assam state minister Ranoj Pegu that the cabinet sub committee will submit the matter regarding the inclusion in Sixth Schedule within two months. 

"We are taking very seriously about Minister Ranoj Pegu's statements. From the very beginning, we Garo people opposed the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council. We never want to live under the RHAC area. Nevertheless, the State government wants to give the sixth schedule into the RHAC area. We have no problem if the government excludes us and our Garo inhabited villages from the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council and then gives them the sixth schedule status", said Arbitson Momin, President GNC.

Arbitson Momin also said that nearly three lakh Garo population is in the RHAC area which is more than the Rabha population. He also said that the RHAC area includes 779 villages, where more than 450 revenue and non-revenue villages are Garo inhabited villages. 

Asking the reasons behind the exclude from RHAC, Momin replied, "Our culture, religion, historic background, social customs and norms, food habits are everything different with the Rabha tribes. Also the other important matter is, RHAC only develops the Rabha people and their villages, not the Garo people and villages. So, if the government takes decisions without consideration, it will be in danger in the coming days." 

In the meeting, more than one thousand Garo people and representatives from various Garo organizations from the both Kamrup and Goalpara districts were takes part. Garo organizations have formed the Garo Autonomous Council Demand Committee (GACDC) in the same meeting. The sixteen- member committee is chaired by Behnur K Sangma and the secretary of the newly formed committee is Brayan Marak.  

Behnur K Sangma, President of the GACDC said, "We can not live with the Rabha people or in the RHAC. In Meghalaya have three different tribes and due to the lack of reconciliation, all three tribes have their own separate sixth schedule autonomous council. So, how we Garo people living in Assam can live under the RHAC. If we live in the RHAC under the Sixth Schedule status, the future generations of the Garo tribe will be in danger and we can never allow this to happen."

"We will meet the Assam chief minister and the cabinet subcommittee on this matter and we will let them know that we want separate Garo Autonomous Council before the RHAC get the Sixth Schedule status. We will also give them memorandum about our problems and we are very sure that our chief minister will understand the matter", Added Behnur K Sangma.

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