SHILLONG: The Advisor and spokesperson of the Federation of Khasi States (FKS), John F Kharshiing, in a letter to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, MHA, has requested for a second presentation and discussions before the committee on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2019, as time permitted to deliberate on the subject on January 18 was “extremely inadequate”.
While thanking the committee for giving the chance earlier to present its submissions, he said that the time provided to understand the depth and impact arising out of the proposed amendments to Sixth Schedule with regard to the Instrument of Accession (IOA) and Annexed Agreement (AA), especially the pending directive issued from the National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST), a constitutional body under Article 338A), was inadequate.
“We request for reconsideration and permission to appear before the committee again as we were hardly given adequate time to make submissions, especially when there are existing pending directives from the NCST to the MHA on April 26, 2012, on the issue of incorporation of our accession agreements signed and accepted by Governor General C Rajagopalachari, between the Government of India and the Federation of Khasi States on August 17, 1948. Therefore, we once again request for a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee in New Delhi prior to finalisation of the recommendations to Parliament,” he said in the letter.
He mentioned that the federation hoped for a more in-depth discussion during the committee’s visit to Shillong on January 18, however, “very brief” time was given to make oral submissions to place the case.
The FKS wanted the constitutional anomaly, regarding the Khasi States and the insertion of the Khasi States within the First Schedule and its subsequent insertion within the Sixth Schedule, is corrected and that the agreement concluded in a special article within the Constitution, he added.
Kharshiing said the member of the Constituent Assembly had also highlighted the constitutional anomaly during the third reading on November 1949, of which the officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Union Ministry of Law & Justice are aware.
The anomaly has been pending since last 72 years and it is based on the “unique historical facts”, he added.
