Shillong, March 12 Meghalaya's BJP unit said on Thursday that no infiltrator should be allowed to contest any election across the country, including the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council elections, asserting that the body was created to safeguard the rights of indigenous communities.
The opposition Voice of the People's Party (VPP) also expressed concern over the developments surrounding non-Garos participating in the tribal council elections, and urged the government to respect the constitutional safeguards meant for indigenous communities.
In a statement, BJP state unit president Rikman G Momin said the Garo GHADC, constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, was meant to protect the land, rights and self-governance of indigenous tribes, and such protections 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 infiltrate any of these democratic processes, anywhere in India," he said.
Momin also 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 in discussions on enacting stricter laws 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.
Two persons were killed during clashes over the participation of non-tribal candidates in the council polls, prompting the imposition of curfew and deployment of security forces in the area, officials said.
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 and land rights of tribal communities in the region.
Momin said the BJP's central leadership stands 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.
