TURA, FEB 28: Meghalaya’s sitting legislator and former minister Clifford R. Marak, who represented Chokpot constituency in Garo hills, and founder of Garo National Congress (GNC) party passed away on Saturday at a hospital in Guwahati.
The 68 years old legislator was suffering from liver and kidney diseases for the past several months. He had undergone treatment at Apollo Chennai a few months ago.
He was the lone legislator from his party and represented Chokpot constituency in South Garo Hills.
Born in April 13, 1947 at Sibbari village, Marak had an illustrious career in politics. He was a legislator for four terms and represented Chokpot constituency.
Marak spearheaded the demand for a separate Garoland state and founded the GNC with this objective.
His stint in politics began with founder chief minister of Meghalaya, Captain Williamson A. Sangma. During his student life, he was actively involved in hill state movement.
He has held several positions in different social organization and had won his first election in 1978 as member of district council from Rongrikimgre constituency. In 1983, he was elected as an independent MLA from Chokpot constituency.
In 1988, he won for the second term as an MLA from Hill People Union and served the government as an agriculture minister. In 1998, Marak founded Garo National Congress and contested the election from his own party and emerged victorious.
In 1999, he unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election.
In over three decades of his career in politics, Marak has mostly been in the opposition. He will be remembered for raising issues confronting Garo hills and his fight for separate Garoland state.
Meghalaya legislators branded Marak as a “master of assembly”.
As president and founder of his own party, he met former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh seeking a separate home state for the Garos.
He leaves behind his wife Kalpana D. Sangma, three daughter and two sons.- From Our Correspondent
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