SHILLONG, JAN 15: The opposition political parties on Thursday demanded the state government to officially provide its views as well as the views already submitted by the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in 2013 on the proposed amendments of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
“We have decided to write to the state government tomorrow requesting it to provide its views and also the views of all the ADCs on the issue,” UDP general secretary AF Dkhar told newsmen after an all party meeting on Thursday.
According to Dkhar, the decision came after a reply was received from the state government when the four political parties – UDP, NPP, HSPDP and KHNAM- recently sought clarification on the points it proposed in the Sixth Schedule before attending the proposed all party meeting to be convened by the chief minister.
The all party meeting which was earlier slated to be held on January 16 has been postponed by the state government and fresh date is yet to be announced.
Stating that the government in its reply has not provide any of the points it proposed to make in the Sixth Schedule, Dkhar however said the government instead has given only the draft of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (proposed amendment) Bill 2012 attached along with the proposals of the Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya (GCCM).
“The draft bill 2012, in fact was already circulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the state government for seeking the views of ADCs on the issue,” Dkhar said while informing the ADCs had already submitted their views since 2013.
Dkhar said, “But whether their (ADCs) views has been incorporated or rejected by the government, this is not known to us till today.” He informed that the meeting today felt that in the absence of clarity the opposition feels that they need to know. He said, “ It is useless to participate in the upcoming all party meeting to be convened by the CM.
Dkhar said, therefore the opposition insist that the government provide all the relevant materials as without them, they cannot attend the proposed meeting since this is the first time that the government is seeking the views of the opposition political parties on the matter.
Dkhar expressed surprised as to what is the logic of the state government in attaching the letter of the GCCM to the CM. He said, “All these are still grey to us and it’s highly ambiguous,”and said that the opposition parties will reconvene a meeting again on the matter provided that the government sends the views of the ADCs on Saturday.
According to Dkhar, the draft bill 2012 sent by the MHA to the state government proposed some insertion, deletion and change in nomenclature besides proposals for the formation of village council, municipal council within the ADCs.
Dkhar said after going through the draft bill, it is felt that the centre is trying to fit the Panchayati Raj into the ADC system… but this time it is going to be under the ADCs. – By Our Reporter
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