By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 19: Lok Sabha member from Shillong, Vincent H Pala, on Thursday said that there is a good chance the BJP-led NDA Government will reintroduce the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019 during the winter session of Parliament.
The bill was first introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2019 and subsequently sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC), according to Pala.
He went on to say that the PSC had visited every state with autonomous district councils (ADCs), including Meghalaya.
“At the same time, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has received recommendations regarding the proposed modification from the various state governments and ADCs. Reintroducing the proposed amendment law was now the only task left for the Centre,” Pala said.
“If it is reintroduced, the Lok Sabha debate on it will take barely a day, and the Rajya Sabha debate will also not take long,” he claimed.
According to him, even the BJP wants to ensure that the Parliament approves the proposed Sixth Schedule amendment.
He claims that all of the states are eager for the Sixth Schedule to be amended, particularly in light of the increased number of seats and the increased autonomy with regard to finance for the ADCs.
It may be recalled that on February 6, 2019, the then Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh had tabled the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha, proposing to devalue more power to the ADCs in the four Northeastern states, including Meghalaya. The bill was subsequently sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee and the four states were asked to give their opinion on the subject.