The proscribed Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has stated that the Sixth Schedule and Article 371 are nothing more than political traps.
“They are carefully crafted deceptions designed to make us believe we have gained something, when in reality, we remain subjugated under a foreign system. These are not victories but political handcuffs wrapped in silk—meant to keep us content while our sovereignty remains stolen,” HNLC general secretary Saiñkupar Nongtraw stated in an emailed statement.
According to Nongtraw, the government of India refuses to recognise the Hynñiewtrep homeland, yet some celebrate the Sixth Schedule, which fails to cover all Hynñiewtrep areas
He questioned why one should be satisfied with partial control over the land and the demand for Article 371, stating that the Assembly remains a coalition with Garos, Bengalis, and others, diluting the political strength of the Hynñiewtrep people.
“Why settle for an article for Meghalaya while ignoring the right to self-governance and self-determination of Hynñiewtrep? To accept autonomy status or special status is to accept a decorated prison. The Indian State will make us feel important, but it will never let us be free. Only a fool mistakes golden chains for liberty,” he said.
The HNLC claimed that JJM Nichols Roy, though a good Christian was not a good statesman and that his colonial mindset led him to weaken the Syiemship, knowing that most of the Syiems were followers of Niam Tynrai. This was not an accident but a calculated political move to strip the Hynñiewtrep of their independent governance, he stated.
“At that time, our leaders were divided—one faction led by Bah Joy, the other by the Federation of Khasi States (FKS). Today, those who continue to celebrate or demand the 6th Schedule or Article 371 are simply embracing a colonial lie, mistaking their chains for progress,” Nongtraw said.
According to the HNLC, world history shows that the British monarchy, though intelligent, was also cunning.
Nongtraw said that the British Empire spread across the globe dismantling local monarchies and reducing sovereign rulers to mere figureheads while they paradoxically preserved their own monarchy, maintaining power that surpassed even the government itself.
“In our land, our kings were reduced to mere chiefs, and the authority of our Syiem was relegated beneath the state and government, a clear example of the empire’s hypocrisy in sustaining its own monarchy while stripping others of their sovereignty,” he added.
