Allaying fears of any shift by Congress MDCs to other political parties, Congress leader and MDC in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Ronnie V Lyngdoh said the elected representatives are united and intact.
“We have been elected MDCs by the people to ensure that the Sixth Schedule is not weakened at any point of time and we are here not for any of our personal gains or interest but for our people,” he told HP recently.
He warned that no one should play around with the Sixth Schedule that safeguards the identity and interest of a minute indigenous population of the state.
“The Sixth Schedule is our protection and it should be respected, and given full responsibility for the protection of our people and our present and future generation,” he said, adding that if anyone plays with the Sixth Schedule then they are compromising the safety of our generation who will curse forever.
Talking about the Panchayati Raj system, Lyngdoh said that the then legislators should have been farsighted to insist on a direct funding system for the local institutions.
Admitting that no administration can run without funds, he said, “Panchayati Raj came into effect in the early 90s and the then legislators should have insisted that, since we are exempted from Panchayati Raj system, the financial inclusion and empowerment of Autonomous District Councils as done under Panchayati Raj and other grassroots institutions in the country, should also be provided to us.”
Stating that the objective of the system is to see governance at the grassroots level, he said, “Since Panchayati Raj does not apply to us because of the Sixth Schedule and because we have the District Council we should have insisted that the central funding should have been given to us whether through the state government or the District Council or local Dorbar Shnong for the benefit of our citizens.”
