Demand for amendment to 1950 ST Order yet to be examined
Shillong, April 1: The state government has advocated for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls even as it is examining the demand for amending Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 to protect the state’s demography.
Informing this on Wednesday, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the state strongly supports an SIR to cleanse rolls of illegal names.
“As a state government, we feel very strongly that SIR should be implemented and we are for it and we will see when the situation arises, we are in touch with the Government of India as well as the Election Commission of India…,” he said.
However, he said, “We don’t have the exact date and the exact process but it is definitely something should be done.”
On the demand for separate electoral rolls for autonomous district councils (ADCs), he said, “We have made it very clear and we will be basing it on the basis of the rules that have been followed in all the ADCs. We will be looking at all constitutional provisions but we are very clear that a separate electoral roll will be there.”
When pressed on calls to amend the ST Order to limit Scheduled Tribe recognition in ADCs to indigenous communities, he said the government had not yet examined the matter yet.
“I have to see and understand what exactly the point is,” Sangma said.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came a day after the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) demanded for SIR of electoral rolls and amendment to the ST Order, arguing that 53-54 tribes listed for Meghalaya include communities from other Northeastern states, allowing them to buy land, contest elections, and run businesses in tribal areas without restriction.
