SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Sunday denied that the NPP-led MDA government was trying to introduce a panchayat-like system as claimed by Ronnie V Lyngdoh saying the senior Congress leader was “misinformed”.
Tynsong said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma recently met Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi to deliberate on the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule.
“There is no such move on the part of the government. It looks like the senior Congress leader has been misinformed on the matter,” Tynsong said.
Sangma had requested Singh to adopt three proposals tabled during a meeting between home ministry joint secretary Satyendra Garg and representatives of the three autonomous district councils earlier this year. Tynsong said the Union minister had agreed in principle to adopt the proposals.
The first proposal was to incorporate the provisions of the Tenth Schedule in the proposed amendment of the Sixth Schedule. The Tenth Schedule is the anti-defection law that was introduced in the Constitution in 1985.
“The second decision was to increase the number of seats to 40 (35 elected and 5 nominated) in the KHADC and GHADC. The number of seats in the JHADC will be increased to 35,” Tynsong said.
The third important proposal was that the prevailing practices of the traditional institutions in the state should be allowed to continue by way of exempting Meghalaya from the Panchayati Raj system.
Earlier, reacting to media reports, Lyngdoh had said it was “shocking” to see that the chief minister during his meeting with the Union home minister had agreed to the proposal to bring about necessary amendment to facilitate direct funding of the Sixth Schedule councils from the Finance Commission.
Lyngdoh had said the party would oppose any move by the Centre to amend the Sixth Schedule and bring about panchayat-like institutions and party would oppose it tooth and nail.
Tribal dominated states under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules were given option either to introduce panchayati institutions or to continue with their traditional self-government institutions.
All the states of India, except Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram had amended their Panchayati Raj Act to accommodate the provisions of the 73rd Amendment Act.
