Has the Voice of the People Party (VPP) been saying one thing in public on Article 371 of the Constitution and another in its manifesto? The United Democratic Party (UDP) certainly thinks so.
One of the sticks other parties have used to bash the VPP in campaigning for this month’s autonomous district council elections is to accuse the anti-establishment party of being in favour of Article 371, which gives special powers to Governors of approved states. The VPP, specifically its leader, Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit, is accused of supporting 371 in place of the Sixth Schedule, which gave Meghalaya its district councils.
Lyngdoh said that it is contradictory for the VPP to include Article 371 on their platform and then leave it out of their manifesto. According to the UDP, Article 371 is incompatible with Meghalaya. “This absence indicates a lack of clarity within the party. As leaders, it is essential to have clarity of thought. You cannot seek power in the KHADC while simultaneously advocating for Article 371, as doing so would conflict with the oath taken to uphold the Sixth Schedule, which Article 371 seeks to negate.”
He further clarified that both the Sixth Schedule and Article 371 cannot coexist in a single system, using Mizoram as an example. He noted, “In Mizoram, Article 371 applies to the entire state, except for the three ADCs, which were created to address the needs of non-Mizo tribals within Mizoram. This situation shows that the two cannot exist simultaneously.”
Lyngdoh also shared his personal stance on the issue, recalling that in 2015, Basaiawmoit had moved a resolution calling for the implementation of Article 371 and he had participated in the debate opposing that idea.
He provided two immediate examples to further illustrate his point: “The Land Transfer Act is applicable across Meghalaya, excluding the three normal areas of Shillong. This is because the entire state is declared as a scheduled area, which exists due to our status under the Sixth Schedule. Additionally, 98 percent of Meghalaya is exempt from the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), with the CAA only applying to the three normal wards in Shillong. The entire state is covered by the Sixth Schedule and tampering with that would undermine the very foundation of Meghalaya’s statehood.”
