Govt, three major tribes disowned minority group: Hajong body
TURA: After the sub-committee on amendment of Sixth Schedule decided to recommend removal of the word ‘unrepresented tribe’, the Meghalaya Hajong Welfare Association (MHWA) has expressed anguish over the rash decision.
Speaking on phone on Friday, vice president of the MHWA, A. Hajong felt that the government along with the three major tribes of Meghalaya had disowned the minority tribes as non-indigenous and the minority community has been emotionally disintegrated by them.
“There is something called emotional integration in India. And we all emotionally feel that not only are we Indians, but we are Meghalayans too. But today, the government has made us feel like we are unwanted people within our own homeland,” Hajong said.
Hajong said on the positive side, they have been given the opportunity to decide their own geo-political future as the government feels that Autonomous Councils under the Sixth Schedule is the exclusive right and domain of the majority tribes only.
“Rightly so, we are different and the existing provisions under the GHADC cannot help promote our culture simultaneously with theirs. But we as a community are unhappy with the decision of the sub-committee,” he added.
The sub-committee had on Thursday decided to recommend to the Standing Committee of the Parliament regarding the decision to delete ‘unrepresented tribes’ from the amendment to the
Sixth Schedule that seeks to nominate unrepresented tribes in the Autonomous District Councils.
Earlier, another Hajong body, the United Hajong Development Organisation (UHDO) had also raised concern over the proposal to remove the text related to them from the draft Sixth Schedule amendment, which was moved by Congress MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh during the autumn session of the legislative assembly.
Meeting with James in vain
Recently, a delegation of leaders representing the Hajong, Koch, Rabha, Boro and Mann tribes met Home Minister James K Sangma and submitted a memorandum with regard to the draft amendment of the Sixth Schedule.
The joint delegation included leaders belonging to the Meghalaya Hajong Welfare Association, Meghalaya Koch Association (MKA), Meghalaya Rabha Jatio Sewa Sangha (MRJSS), All Bodo Students’ Union, Bodo Sahitya Sabha, All Meghalaya Mann Welfare Society and All Rabha Students’ Union.
During their meeting, the Home minister is said to have responded positively assuring that he would take their views into consideration.
