Proposed amendment to Sixth Schedule
SHILLONG, July 25: As the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2019 seeks to amend provisions related to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured the ten autonomous councils (ACs) and territorial councils (TCs) in the Northeast that the Centre will address all their issues and concerns.
After meeting Shah in New Delhi on Thursday, TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma said the Home Minister has assured them that the Centre will address all the issues, which they had raised, before August 25.
According to him, Shah told them that any agreement or accord, signed when another government was in place, will be honoured because it was not an agreement by the BJP or the Congress but by the Government of India.
“We are happy over such positive attitude of the Home Minister,” Debbarma, who is an elected member of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, said.
He, however, observed that the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Amendment) Bill may be different for the ACs or the TCs in Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram or Tripura.
“But all our problems will be individually heard by a committee and addressed so that there is a solution which is amicable. The most important thing is we do not want to have a confrontation. We want to give rights to our people and community. This is how we progress and we will welcome it in a positive manner,” the TIPRA Motha chief further stated.
Meanwhile, KHADC Chief Executive Member Pyniaid Sing Syiem said the committee, to be formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, will be headed by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.
“We are happy with the positive outcome of the meeting,” Syiem said, adding the meeting lasted for more than 30 minutes.
He also stated that the forum of the ten ACs and TCs of the Northeast will meet again in Shillong on August 10 to further discuss various issues relating to the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.