Newmai News Network Shillong | November 22 With an aim to ensure that "only" Khasi people are allowed to take part in council polls, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) unanimously passed the KHADC (Constitution and the Procedure and Conduct of Business) Rules, 2018 here on Thursday. Rule 120 of the Rules clearly states – a citizen of India belonging to the Schedule Tribe and ordinary resident in a constituency for not less than 180 days during the qualifying period …shall be entitled to vote at any election to the district council of an autonomous district. It also states that provided that a person not belonging to a Schedule Tribe specified in part XI-Meghalaya, of the Schedule to the Constitution (Schedule Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended up to date shall not be entitled to so vote. Speaking after passing the Rules during the last day of the winter session on Thursday, the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the KHADC, HS Shylla said that the Council has become the first to come up with its own rules. “But what is more important is that we were able to clearly define on the eligibility of voters who are the indigenous Khasi tribals. It is not adult suffrage but tribal adult suffrage because the district council is for the tribal people,” he said. Shylla further added the new AD rules of the Council also seek to uphold the democratic principles where the executive committee (EC) can be removed by the majority. “There is no need to wait for 20 members to sign for removing the EC because majority means 15 or 16 out of 29 members,” he added. Rule 25 (1) stated that the EC may be removed on a vote of no-confidence passed by a majority of the member of the District Council at a meeting specially convened by the Chairman for the purpose on receipt of a requisition signed by the majority members excluding any vacancy. Earlier, KHNAM MDC Adelbert Nongrum had demanded an amendment of the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951 which allows non-indigenous people to participate in the council election. The KHNAM had pointed out that Rule 128 of the 1951 AD Rules which states that all citizen of India not below the age of 18 years can contest, be electors in the District Council election is detrimental to the welfare of the tribal people. Meanwhile, the state government is also making efforts to complete the proposed amendment of the AD Rules to ensure that all the three ADCs including JHADC and GHADC have uniform rules.
