Guwahati: Assam MP Rwngwra Narzary on Wednesday expressed concern over the stagnation of tribal autonomous councils and called for the immediate passage of the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019, which has been pending in the Rajya Sabha for over five years.
Speaking during Zero Hour, Narzary said that although the Constitution provides for self-governance of the country’s tribal population through the Sixth Schedule, the 10 autonomous councils created under it have remained largely stagnant for over seven decades. He argued that this has deprived tribal communities of their rightful share of development.
“The Constitution of India provides a unique provision for tribals to govern themselves. The Sixth Schedule was designed to protect and fulfil their economic, educational, linguistic, and socio-cultural rights, and to preserve land rights and ethnic identity,” the UPPL MP said.
Narzary recalled that the autonomous council system began in 1951 with the formation of the Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills councils in Assam, followed by the United Khasi-Jaintia Autonomous District Council in 1952.
More councils were established in Mizoram during the 1970s, while the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council was set up in 1985 and the Bodoland Territorial Area District in 2002.
He noted that the Centre initiated a review of the functioning of Sixth Schedule councils in 2019, nearly 68 years after their inception, and subsequently introduced the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill to amend Article 280 and other provisions.
“This progressive bill aims to augment the administrative and financial powers and functions of the Sixth Schedule Councils, but it is still pending in the Rajya Sabha,” he said.
The MP also referred to the 2020 Bodo Accord, stating that five years have passed since its signing and that it includes Clause 4.3, under which the Centre had committed to amending Article 280 through the proposed legislation to empower the Bodoland Territorial Council.
He said that while around 70 per cent of the Bodo Accord has been implemented under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Assam government, several crucial clauses are yet to be fulfilled. “The people of Bodoland now demand urgent and complete implementation without further delay,” Narzary said.
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He urged the government to carry out the “vibrant reforms” proposed in the 2019 amendment bill to enable the councils to function more effectively.
