SHILLONG: KHADC chief executive member HS Shylla and a few MDCs met Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Monday on the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018.
Shylla said it was up to the government to study the bill and send suggestions to the governor with a request to speed up its assent.
The deputy chief minister assured the delegation that the government would study the bill at the earliest and any shortcoming would be addressed.
But he made it clear that the government would give its comments on the bill “only if the governor seeks its views”.
“We will have nothing to say even if the governor approves the bill without consulting the government. Being a constitutional body, the Khasi Autonomous District Councils (KHADC) is free to legislate laws in matters under its jurisdiction. The government is not authorised to intrude in matters falling under the Council,” Tynsong told media persons.
He said not only the autonomous district councils but the state government too “is committed to protecting the interest of the three major indigenous tribes”.
Talking to reporters, Shylla made acerbic comments against the women activists opposing the bill saying they were the ones doing injustice to the state.
“Tribal women are glad about the bill. It is only those who wished to marry non-tribals who are saying it is ‘injustice’. But we are not prohibiting women from marrying anyone,” he said. ”Those who speak about injustice are only Patricia, Angela and Agnes and no other. They marry non-tribals and they have every right to fight and should not be ashamed about it. But they should not interfere with the desire of those 90 per cent Khasis who want the bill. They are ones who open the door (to non-tribals),” he added.
Asserting that those opposing the bill have vested interests, Shylla said, “We will call a public meeting of the Khasi-Pnar community. Whether the state government, Supreme Court or India accepts or not, we, the Khasi community will go ahead and affirm the bill… We have every right to safeguard the identity of the Khasi people. Nobody can stand in the way (of doing so). If India says it is not needed, then we will leave India.”
Shylla called those who are opposing enemies of the Khasi community. He slammed John Kharshiing and said they were not under the Grand Council of Chiefs, which Shylla termed as an “illegal institution of an individual”.
“We will give an instruction that all Chiefs under the KHADC should no longer be part of the Grand Council as it is only a private organization of Kharshiing for his political career,” he added.
Shylla will meet the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) CEM on coming up with a similar bill.
“The salient part in the Constitution of India is safeguarding, protect and promote Scheduled Tribe. We are coming with the bill to protect the interest of the Khasi community,” Shylla said.
