SHILLONG:
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said the issue of state reservation policy is sensitive and cannot be just wished away or changed, and the legal aspects have to be taken into consideration.
It is a challenge and will continue to remain so in the coming years, he said, adding, “You cannot just blindly say that let us change it or let us amend it.”
“You know very well the state reservation policy is a very sensitive issue and they knew well also about the challenges which we have – be it from the year 1972, be it this year or be it in the next term this issue is very challenging,” he added.
The deputy chief minister’s observations came while reacting to the recent demand of the five pressure groups – HYC, HANM, EJNC, JSM and CORP – for immediate review and revamp of the state reservation policy.
He said the Meghalaya High Court had recently stepped in on this issue due to which the state government was asked to put in place the roster system, which was not there for the past 50 years.
He said he had told the groups that a solution has to be found collectively since injustice couldn’t be done to anybody whether be it to Garo Hills, Jantia Hills or Khasi Hills.
Tynsong informed that each and every department now has to have a roster system in place “not from today onwards but from the day the reservation policy was implemented in the state as per the ruling of the high court”.
“Therefore, we are examining all these and we are preparing the roster system and heads of different departments are working on how to implement it,” he said.
The five pressure groups had alleged that the reservation policy for the past 50 years has been heavily loaded in favour of the Garo tribe and demanded that “if the issue could not be settled, it is better to bifurcate the state”.
When asked, Tynsong said the HSPDP right from 1980s till today has been demanding for a separate Khasi-Jaintia state.
Similarly, the GNC from Garo Hills is also demanding for creation of Garoland.
“That is already there but the only question is whether we will be able to get it or not. If we get it and if we can make it smaller Meghalaya nothing like it. If we can have two why need only one so that also is good. If we get two instead of one nothing like it,” he stated.
