SHILLONG, March 13 — Senior BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday accused alleged illegal infiltration from Bangladesh of triggering recent tension and violence in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya. Speaking at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Prasad said the party “stands firmly with the tribal communities of Garo Hills” and is committed to protecting their constitutional rights.
Prasad said the unrest stems from what he described as attempts by alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators to enter tribal society and contest elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), a constitutionally recognised body where administrative authority is reserved for tribal members. He warned that an increasing presence of such individuals is changing the demographic balance and affecting land rights, political representation and other core interests of local tribal communities.
Referring to a recent controversy involving former Phulbari MLA S.G. Esmatur Momin, Prasad said a nomination had been filed despite objections from tribal groups. He also alleged that, in some cases, infiltrators marry local tribal women and later obtain fraudulent certificates to contest polls to autonomous councils. “We strongly oppose any attempt to undermine the rights of tribal communities through illegal and unconstitutional means,” he said, adding that similar action was taken against illegal infiltrators after the BJP came to power in Assam and in other NDA-ruled states.
The BJP Meghalaya unit has proposed amendments to the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous District Council Rules, 1951, seeking to make possession of a Scheduled Tribe certificate and membership of one of Meghalaya’s indigenous tribes mandatory to contest and vote in GHADC elections. A BJP delegation led by Meghalaya Pradesh president Rikman G. Momin and including MLA A. L. Hek met Governor C.H. Vijayashankar on Friday to submit a memorandum pressing for the changes and urging an urgent GHADC session to take them up.
BJP chief spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang said the Governor assured the delegation that, given the gravity of the matter, the suggestions would be referred to a panel of experts to examine their legal validity and that any action would follow constitutional procedures once the panel reports.
In a related statement, BJP state vice-president and Tura MDC Bernard N. Marak said the party would evict illegal migrants from the plains belt of the Garo Hills, accusing them of threatening tribal identity and rights. Marak said migrants had “shown their true colours” and were demanding equal rights and representation within tribal institutions, alleging many were not permanent residents and lived on land leased from tribal owners. He cited observations attributed to the Meghalaya High Court about the need to amend provisions, including Paragraphs 8 and 128, which he said had been exploited to legalise such presence, and urged the government to act above party lines to protect tribal communities.
The BJP’s proposals and the Governor’s referral to experts set the stage for a legal and political debate over electoral rules, tribal identity and residency criteria ahead of the upcoming GHADC elections.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/03/14/illegal-infiltration-behind-gh-unrest-ravi-shankar-prasad/
Category: MEGHALAYA
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Publish Date: 2026-03-14 01:09:00
