Former rebel leader Bernard Marak on Sunday said that he would contest the upcoming polls from two constituencies of Meghalaya to further the cause of strengthening the district council as per the agreed text of settlement.
Marak is likely to contest from North Tura and South Tura constituencies of West Garo Hills, wherein political bigwigs including former union minister Agatha K Sangma of NPP, former Meghalaya minister Billykid A Sangma (BJP ticket aspirant), sitting legislator Noverfield Marak of Congress and sitting independent legislator John Leslee K Sangma will be in a multi-cornered battle in the two constituencies.
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Marak was chief of the breakaway faction of A’chik National Volunteer’s Council (ANVC-B), and had signed the agreed text of settlement along with its parent outfit ANVC in September 2014.
The outfit was disbanded in December 2014.
Marak has been raising the issue on the release of financial package to the outfit members and non-committed stand of the government to adhere to the agreed text of settlement.
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He said the government has not respected the agreement and there is an urgent need to follow up. “I would enlighten the people about the land rights and the agreement during my campaign”, he said.
The agreed text of settlement include transfer of as many as 13 subjects including minor works of Agriculture, Sericulture and Weaving, Animal Husbandry, Fishers and minor irrigation, among others to the district council.
Marak had unsuccessfully contested the district council polls in 2015.
Marak had joined BJP and held the post of district president of West Garo Hills and had to quit the party on the issue of “beef ban”. He said, “BJP was growing and was being accepted by the people but the issue of beef had hurt the sentiments of the people so I decided to quit”.
He said following his resignation from the party the BJP top functionaries had arbitrarily removed and dissolved district bodies in all Garo hills district without following constitutional norms of the party.