Shillong, September 1: The National People’s Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government will approach the Centre for an amendment to the Presidential Order of 1950 to review the list of Scheduled Tribes in Meghalaya, Deputy Chief Minister and NPP state president Prestone Tynsong said on Tuesday.
Addressing party workers during the NPP’s 14th Foundation Day celebration, which coincided with the birth anniversary of party founder late Purno Agitok Sangma, Tynsong said the state government had taken a major decision last month to “revisit the roots” of Meghalaya and review the existing list of tribes and sub-tribes. “When we say Meghalaya is a tribal state, we base it on the Presidential Notification of 1950. Seventy-six years have passed. We have now constituted a committee, which I myself head, to revisit and review the list of tribes and sub-tribes in Meghalaya and to examine who are genuine and who are not,” he said.
Tynsong said the government would pursue the matter through legal and constitutional means and indicated that a resolution could be brought at an appropriate time. “We don’t need to agitate on the streets. We will touch the law. The time will come when we will bring a resolution. If needed, the entire government will meet the Prime Minister and the President to amend the 1950 notification,” he said.
He said the initiative was aimed at strengthening the interests of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo communities and was being pursued in the spirit of the Sixth Schedule.
Recalling the communal clashes in Mizoram in 2003, when D.D. Lapang was Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Tynsong said several Khasi and Pnar people living there had been affected.
He said he had then raised the issue with a Mizoram minister, pointing out that people belonging to recognised tribal communities from other northeastern states enjoyed Scheduled Tribe benefits in Meghalaya, while Khasi and Pnar residents elsewhere should also receive similar recognition and protection.
According to Tynsong, no government in the past 76 years had taken the initiative to comprehensively revisit the issue. “For 76 years no one has taken the lead on this, but this time we will take up this huge task,” he said.
Speaking about the NPP’s 14-year journey, Tynsong said the party had faced several challenges but had matured considerably since assuming office as part of the coalition government in 2018.
He said the NPP-led government had taken up several long-pending and politically sensitive issues which, according to him, earlier governments had avoided.
Among these, he cited the interstate boundary dispute, the proposed relocation of residents of the Harijan Colony at Them Iew Mawlong, the demand for implementation of the Inner Line Permit, language-related issues and opposition to uranium mining.
On the Them Iew Mawlong issue, Tynsong said the matter had not been forgotten and that the government would soon hold another meeting to finalise its approach while ensuring that any decision conforms with directions of the Meghalaya High Court. “You have seen resolutions on ILP, language and uranium mining. More such issues will come up. These will further strengthen the people of the state with special focus on the safety and security of our tribal people,” he said.
Tynsong also urged NPP workers to prepare for the upcoming Shillong parliamentary election and work towards ensuring a victory for party candidate Dr D.R.L. Nonglait.
He said Meghalaya requires strong representation in Parliament, particularly on issues that need intervention from the Centre. “When there are issues that the state cannot solve, we have to go to Delhi. If we have our own MP who understands us, it will benefit our community, the Shillong parliamentary constituency and the whole state,” Tynsong said.
