SHILLONG: With the Assembly elections only a few months away, concerns are raised about non-implementation of the People (Second Amendment) Act, 1987, and reservation of 100 per cent seats in the Legislative Assembly for indigenous people.
In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Election Officer on Tuesday, the Meghalaya People United Front (MPUF) demanded implementation of the Act.
“What is the difficulty that the state is facing to implement the Act? The states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram have implemented it,” MPUF president Dawanpoimi Laloo told reporters.
If the government maintains silence on the matter, MPUF will take legal recourse and “peaceful measures to take the matter to another step”.
“It will be good if the issue is taken up during election campaigns,” Laloo said and added that though the participation of non-tribals during elections in Jaintia Hills is not high, the organisation’s main focus is Garo Hills.
The CEO has informed the organisation that the matter will be taken up by a committee, and if necessary, will be forwarded to the governor.
MPUF in its memorandum also demanded to reserve 100 per cent seats in the Legislative Assembly for tribals of Meghalaya. It stated that a bill was passed by Parliament in this regard for northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.
“The People (Third Amendment) Act, 1987 was enacted by Parliament to specify the number of seats which will be reserved for Scheduled Tribe and was entrusted to the Election Commission through amendment made in the representation of the Act,” it added.
