Shillong, Dec 09: The Federation of Khasi State (FKS) sent the letter to the Meghalaya Chief Minister Mr Conrad K Sangma to opposed the Citizenship Amendment Bill base on the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement of the Khasi States accepted by the Government of India on 17 August 1948 under Clause 5 of the Annexed Agreement.
The letter sent by the FKS to the Chief Minister stated that, earlier memorandums submitted to your office earlier, we once again urge the state government to kindly pursue with the Government of India to desist from passing the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 in it’s present form which is in conflict with Clause 5 of the Annexed Agreement of the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement of the Khasi States accepted by the Government of India on 17 August 1948 and which is yet to be concluded( document of the white paper on Indian States – Khasi States – are attached for your reference).
The Clause 5 of the IOA & AA clearly defines restriction of Indian Legislation on the Khasi States including the unconstitutional Municipality of Shillong and the Cantonment. It is also to be noted that the Federation of Khasi States did not sign the INSTRUMENT OF MERGER.
It is to be pointed out that due to the Constitutional anomaly within the Constitution of India, the Municipality of Shillong and Cantonment have been wrongly excluded from the purview of the Sixth Schedule and this proposed citizenship amendment bill without first addressing the treaty terms of the Khasi States is further complicating the rights customs and legal jurisdiction and authority of the Khasi States.
Inview of the above we strongly urge that the state government move the Central Government to desist from moving such a bill without having settled and concluding the treaty terms of the IOA & AA.
In April 2012 the National Commission for Schedule Tribes also passed directives to the Ministry of Home Affairs to incorporate the IOA & AA within the Constitution of India. This is yet to be done inspite of numerous reminders to the MHA from the NCST.
In the event the Government of India proceeds ahead with it’s majoritarian legislation it will be solely responsible for the upheaval and conflict that is bound to arise in the region.
The Federation of Khasi States had also earlier called for notifying the ILP throughout the state to safeguard the indigenous people however even this has not yet been implemented.
We therefore once again urge the state government to kindly take up this matter of exempting not only the sixth Schedule area but the entire area under the jurisdiction of the Khasi States in accordance with treaty terms under clause 5 of the Instrument of Accession keeping in mind the spirit of Section 7 of the Indian Independence Act 1947.
The Khasi Chiefs look forward to meeting you to discuss the conflicts that would arise from such illogical Central legislation. Said Mr John Kharshiing in the press statement issued to the media hpuses.
