SHILLONG, MAY 28: UDP Lok Sabha byelection candidate Vivanstone G Kharngapkynta on Thursday said the Sixth Schedule remains the strongest safeguard for the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and must be “strengthened further,” dismissing calls for Article 371 as “wishful thinking.”
Speaking after being named the party’s official candidate for Shillong, the senior advocate said, “I thank Bah Metbah. This is the first time I am entering electoral politics.”
Kharngapkynta, who has been associated with the District Council as a lawyer for nearly three decades, warned that the existing autonomous framework was under pressure.
“When we have the Sixth Schedule, when we have the District Councils, we must work hard to further strengthen the District Councils,” he said.
He flagged what he termed a weakening of the Council’s judicial powers, noting, “Now there is a weakening of the judicial system within the District Councils because these regular courts no longer send cases between non-Khasis, because there is power from outside to erode the District Council courts.”
He cautioned against complacency, stating, “There may be attempts in the coming years to abolish and uproot the District Council, and I feel that what already exists cannot be abolished under any circumstances.”
On the debate over constitutional provisions, Kharngapkynta was direct, “There are also parties that want to introduce the special provisions of Article 371. I feel that is just wishful thinking. What we already have — the Sixth Schedule — that is what we must strengthen further.”
He also expressed concern over the possible extension of the 73rd Amendment to the region. “It is also on my mind that we have to strengthen the Sixth Schedule because I fear greatly that if we get the 73rd Amendment, which is the Panchayati Raj institution — once the Panchayati Raj institution comes, at that time the Syiems and the Himas will be lost because there will be another system of administration, and there will be hurt,” he said.
Linking his legal experience to his political bid, he said, “If I become MP, because I know the working of the District Council, I will work hard for the District Councils. When I work hard for the District Councils, it means I will work hard for the Himas of the Syiems, the Wahadadars, and the villages — because I find that only through the District Council, through the Syiems and the villages, can we strengthen our indigenous ownership.”
Kharngapkynta said effective representation in Parliament would require coordination beyond the state. “We need a common objective to bring or to push for the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule. We cannot do it alone — there has to be teamwork,” he said.
The 38–40 year veteran of the bar said he had reached a turning point in his career. “With respect to you, I have reached that saturation point in being a pleader… Perhaps it is time to think of earning wealth for the land and the community,” he said.
“I want there to be a unified stand in the Khasi and Jaintia region and for there to be governance by the indigenous people,” he added.
