Shillong: A recent demand by the Sarvadaliya Sammelan, a minority body, for a separate electoral roll for non-tribals in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), Meghalaya has been met with strong opposition.
Social activist Cherian Momin termed the demand as a blatant attempt to subvert the constitutional safeguards provided under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution towards the Scheduled Tribes.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Momin stated that the GHADC is a constitutionally mandated autonomous institution, established to ensure self-governance and self-determination for the indigenous Garo people.
He added that any effort to restructure its electoral framework in favour of non-tribals would be an assault on the constitutional sovereignty of Scheduled Tribes.
The exclusion of non-tribals from the electoral rolls of GHADC, Momin pointed out, is not an act of discrimination but a protective mechanism to prevent the political marginalization of indigenous communities.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
He urged constitutional authorities, policymakers, and the judiciary to prevent any move that threatens the sanctity of the Sixth Schedule.
Momin also dismissed the argument that non-tribal settlers should be granted electoral rights or be territorially excluded from GHADC, citing that their continued residence in these areas does not grant them the constitutional right to political representation within a tribal self-governing body.
The demand for non-tribal representation, Momin said, is a direct attack on the foundational principles of tribal governance and a constitutional subversion that cannot be tolerated.
He demanded that the Government of Meghalaya and the Union Government act decisively to prevent unconstitutional encroachments into the governance of GHADC.