Do not dilute customary laws, Sonia tells Meghalaya Govt

NEW DELHI: A day after Congress-controlled KHADC dashed off a memorandum to the Congress High Command alleging Congress-ruled State government’s ‘failure’ to take the issue of Village Administration Bill, 2014  with the Governor, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi  has directed the Meghalaya government to ensure that under no circumstances tribal customs, traditions and laws are diluted or interfered with.
Gandhi issued this directive through the Congress General Secretary in-charge of Meghalaya V Narayanasamy when the latter called on her on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice  headed by Dr EMS Natchiappn decided to call experts from Meghalaya to go through the sensitive issue.
“In no case tribal customs, traditions and laws should be diluted or interfered with,” Gandhi told the General Secretary,” the party sources said.
The newly-elected CEM, Pynshngaiñ N Syiem, who is also a Congress MLA accompanied by Shillong MP  Vincent H Pala and others,  met the general secretary in charge of the Hill State V Narayanasamy on Tuesday and complained about the State Government’s “failure” to take up the matter with the Governor even though the Council had duly codified the customary laws. The CEM is also armed with a detailed memorandum to Sonia Gandhi and waiting to seek her personal intervention to resolve the issue for the benefit of the tribals.
Our Reporter adds: Syiem, meanwhile, has, tried to clear the air regarding his decision to apprise the AICC on the urgency to pass the KHAD (Village Administration) Bill, 2014.
“I have gone to appraise the matter to the AICC since I felt it was necessary for the central leadership to know about the prevailing situation in the State. As a member of the party, I have the liberty to raise any important matter at any level. But this cannot be speculated that there is an internal problem with the party leaders in the State,” Syiem told newsmen in Shillong after his return from New Delhi on Wednesday.
When asked why he did not apprise the matter to the leaders of the MPCC, he said “They (MPCC leaders) are very much aware about the ground reality.”