No infiltrator should contest elections in India: Meghalaya BJP amid GHADC row

The Meghalaya unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on March 12 asserted that no infiltrator should be allowed to contest elections anywhere in the country, including the polls to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), stating that the institution was created to safeguard the rights of indigenous communities.

State BJP president Rikman G Momin said the GHADC, constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, was meant to protect the land, rights and self-governance of indigenous tribes, and such safeguards must not be diluted.

“Whether it is the tribal autonomous district council polls, the Assembly elections or the Parliamentary elections, no infiltrator should be permitted to enter any of these democratic processes anywhere in India,” Momin said in a statement.

The opposition Voice of the People’s Party (VPP) also expressed concern over the developments surrounding the participation of non-Garo individuals in the tribal council elections and urged the government to respect the constitutional safeguards meant for indigenous communities.

Momin further alleged that infiltrators were attempting to enter the electoral process in tribal areas by marrying into local communities and acquiring identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards and ration cards to present themselves as legitimate residents.

“This is not migration but a systematic subversion of identity, tribal rights and the electoral process,” he said, adding that the party was discussing the possibility of stricter legal measures to curb such practices.

The remarks come amid heightened tensions in the Garo Hills region over the now-postponed GHADC elections, which witnessed protests and violence in parts of West Garo Hills district. Officials said two persons were killed during clashes related to the participation of non-tribal candidates in the council polls, prompting authorities to impose curfew and deploy security forces in the area.

The GHADC, headquartered in Tura, is one of the autonomous district councils established under the Sixth Schedule to provide administrative autonomy and protect the customs, traditions and land rights of tribal communities in the region.

Momin said the BJP’s central leadership stood firmly with the indigenous communities of Meghalaya and assured that the Centre was ready to assist the state government in restoring peace in the Garo Hills region.