Senior Advocate VGK Kynta today said that there is nothing to stop both Meghalaya and Assam from altering the controversial memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by them to resolve Phase 1 of the border negotiations.
Kynta took aim at the government, calling it “nonsense” to argue that the MoU cannot be altered. The agreement has been controversial after many landowners saw their property included in Assam’s share even though they want to belong to Meghalaya.
The settlement should have gone deep into detail and there should have been greater investigations at ground zero rather than striking the agreement “during high tea between the two CMs”.
As far as state borders are concerned, Kynta explained that Article 3 of the Constitution gives Parliament the right to form a new state, increase or decrease the area of any state, alter the boundaries and names. Even the Phase 1 MoU has to be approved by Parliament before it comes into force.
Meanwhile, he also said that under Meghalaya’s unique land tenure system, the state government cannot do whatever it likes.
“Here in Meghalaya, be it the state government or the district council, if they want land it has to be acquired through the land acquisition act and cannot just be taken away,” Kynta said during the release of the book entitled ‘North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act 1971, compiled by Starfing Pdahkasiej.
Kynta also spoke out against the recent notification that brings the whole state under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Code of Civil Procedure (CPC), which the district councils are unhappy about.
