Ampareen leads delegation to Home Minister
SHILLONG: The issue of nominating individuals from unrepresented tribes as per the proposed amendment of the Sixth Schedule has been opposed by the Congress MDCs in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) who have asserted that the provision will create further divisions in the indigenous community which is already a minority.
Congress MDCs accompanied by party MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh met the District Council Affairs (DCA) Minister James Sangma to submit a memorandum to him apprising him of their concerns on the proposed amendment.
The Congress asserted that if the amendments are allowed to be passed in the present form, then the protections, rights and guarantees of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo tribes in the Constitution of India and the Sixth Schedule will be diluted and the grounds for doing away with these will be set into motion.
Speaking to reporters, Ampareen said, “It is not right for the Union government to further create divisions among the indigenous communities in the state since we are already a minority community. To say that there are other unrepresented tribes in the state, will further divide the small community.”
Secondly, referring to the Presidential Order, 1950, she said it is still in disorder and it needs to be corrected adding that it is saddening to learn that there are sub-tribes under the main tribe.
She said, “Things precede things. The Presidential order of 1950 should be corrected before amendment of the Sixth Schedule.”
Meghalaya has three main indigenous tribes and other minority tribes.
She said that in Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC), there is no such provision to nominate unrepresented tribes whereas it is included in the KHADC.
Political ploy: Ampareen
Accusing the central government of using the strategy of “divide and rule”, Lyngdoh said that there is a political ploy to dilute the identity and rights of the tribals and the issue of unrepresented tribes will confuse people.”
“It is a political ploy to divide the people to easily rule over us. After 50 years, the district council will be diluted and divided.
“The central government is trying to say there are other tribes who are fewer in number than us. We don’t want to harass anyone but we are being harassed by others,” she said.
In the memorandum to Sangma, the Congress MDCs said that there is a provision to nominate unrepresented Scheduled Tribes in the present Amendment Bill which should be deleted with regard to the KHADC as was done in Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC).
The MDCs said that the issue of land rights to include mineral rights has not been addressed in the Amendment Bill and maintained that the matter needs to be discussed under the provision of the Sixth Schedule.
No need to increase number of seats: Cong
Congress MDC Batskhem Ryntathiang said there is no need to increase the number of seats in the KHADC as no benefit would accrue from it.
The MDCs said for the Khasi Hills and the Jaintia Hills at the most one more nominated member can be included to make it 31 members.
Leader of opposition in the KHADC, Lamphrang Blah criticized the KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Teinwell Dkhar for not being serious with the contentious issue.
Congress MDC Carness Sohshang said the Executive Committee of Dkhar has failed as the EC issued directions only after NGOs raised a hue and cry over the NRC.
“The illegal immigrants have already entered. They have kidnapped our children,” he remarked.
He took a dig at the regional parties who lured voters on the pretext to make laws to safeguard the community and forget their promises once they are in power and asserted the EC should resign.
Blah said village councils and municipal councils should be removed and as per custom, the traditional concepts of Dorbar, Raid, and Hima should be retained.
The memorandum also stated that in order to safeguard tribal rights, a clear definition of the words “adult suffrage” to mean voting rights of indigenous Khasi-Jaintia and Garo Tribes is required. Village and Urban local administration in should be the form of Dorbar Shnong, Dorbar Raid, Dorbar Hima or Elaka, Gittim Nokmas and the larger A’king Nokma administrative organizations.
The MDCs further pointed out that there are terminological inconsistencies in the Amendment Bill in the present form. While the nomenclature of the ADCs will change to “Autonomous Territorial Council”, the words “District Councils” are still used in the amending sections.
The Khasis and Jaintias have codified their customs and practices but the Garos have not done yet.