Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
Lecturer in Seng Khasi College and president of Hynniewtrep National Youth Front, Sadon Blah, and adviser and spokesperson, Federation of Khasi States questioned the relevance of District Council in the state.
The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) held a debate on Standstill Agreement, Instrument of Accession, Annexed Agreement, and Sixth Schedule, in which Sadon Blah, Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) MDCs PN Syiem, Paul Lyngdoh, Spiton Kharakor, John Kharshiing, and Vijay Lyngdoh as the moderator at multi-use convention hall, NEHU on October 21.
Blah said, “We have our basis to revisit history and that is through the Instrument of Accession. What is there in the Sixth Schedule that can protect the locals? What is there in the district council when it comes to trading licenses?”
He said that it has been through the wisdom of former MLA Martin Narayan Majaw that the Land Transfer act came up.
He added that the Khasi community is special and have their identity as long as there is dorbar hima, dorbar raid, dorbar shnong, and dorbar kur.
“If you remove the District Council, our identity will not be affected,” he said.
Stating there is too much politics after the Sixth Schedule was in place, the Chief Executive Member (CEM) would act as the Chief of chiefs and cited the example of Hima Mylliem who does not have a full-fledged Syiem but an acting one.
“Instead of strengthening the forest laws and non-tribal license, the land issues and others, the District Council is instead busy with marriage and relationships and who knows and does not know Khasi. No doubt, it is needed to look at that too but it should look at other issues also,” Blah said.
He added that the state needs Article 371 mentioning clearly that Khasi states became a part of Indian dominion through the IOA.
Kharshiing said Sixth Schedule has no relevance since there is no clarity of the relationship between the Khasi states and India.
Interacting with the audience later and taking questions, PN Syiem said it is important to have Article 371 in the spirit of Annexed Agreement (AA).