SHILLONG, NOV 18: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi assured the tribal chiefs of Meghalaya that he will look into their pending demands. The assurance came following a meeting of a delegation of the Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya (GCCM) led by its chairman John F Kharshiing with Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday.
The tribal chiefs sought Gandhi’s intervention for consideration of a separate ‘party-less regional council and political space” for the tribal chiefs in the state.
A statement issued by Kharshiing informed that Gandhi had enquired in detail as to the party less political system existing within the traditional tribal chieftains and institutions of Meghalaya. He said, “We informed about the existence of the 3363 unique Khasi political partyless clan system baring inter-marriage, the process of decision making through consensus and referendum, and the process of ‘recall’ that exist.”
The delegation also informed Gandhi about the pending issues as mention in the White Paper On Indian States – relating to the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement of the Khasi States accepted by the Government of India of 17th August 1948 and the lack of space for the chiefs within the Constitution and the 6thSchedule, the NCRWC report 2003 placed before parliament, during NDA rule, NCST, and the NHRC directives in 2012.
The chiefs further informed Gandhi of the ongoing conflict on ILP which was partly due to the insecurity felt by the slowing changing socio-economic political demographic of the state, including lack of constitutional legislative and administrative space for the tribal institutions.
Kharshiing said Gandhi assured that the matter would be examined thoroughly and looked into with depth and that his office would get back on these issues raised in the memorandum submitted to him.- By Our Reporter
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