SHILLONG: UDP working president Bindo M Lanong has rejected the proposal of the Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya (GCCM) to make the district council elections a “party-less affair” similar to the municipal polls.
The GCCM’s idea was also opposed by the KHNAM.
“Even though we have not discussed the issue at the party level, personally, I disagree with this idea. The district council has its own set of roles and functions and cannot be tagged with other entities,” UDP working president, Bindo Mathew Lanong said.
He added that the area that the district council covers is much bigger than that taken care of by the municipal bodies.
While rejecting the idea put forward by the GCCM, KHNAM working president Adelbert Nongrum said that only political parties can fulfill the various provisions mandated by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
He added that constitutional bodies like district councils cannot be equated with municipal bodies.
“We all know that the power and functions of the ward commissioners are limited when compared with that of the MDCs…If the proposal was made only to accommodate the traditional heads then it is highly questionable,” Nongrum said adding that traditional heads already had their respective functions and duties to fulfill in the different Himas and Raids.
Earlier, Kharshiing had emphasized that a party-less District Council will set aside all political differences and help in retaining and preserving the customary laws and practices in Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills.
While admitting that there are political parties who are reluctant to accept the recommendation of a party-less District Council Kharshiing had said that the alternate option would be for the government to provide the traditional chiefs with a regional council.
