SHILLONG:
The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) has threatened to a series of agitations if the state government fails to positively respond to the party’s demand for immediate review of the state reservation policy.
VPP chief Ardent M Basaiawmoit said that the party is organising its second phase of public rally from May 2, to sensitise people about the issue.
“After the second phase of public rally, we will have to take stern decision which will be a series of agitations, if the governmnet does not respond positively (to our demand),” he added.
On the government’s decision to call for an all-party meeting to discuss the issue, Basaiawmoit however said the party will decide on whether or not to participate only when it receives an official communication in this regard.
When asked, the Nongkrem legislator said that his party was not offering any kind of formula to the government on addressing the issue but is only suggesting the need to constitute a committee that will include leaders from Khasi and Garo and experts who have better understanding about reservation.
“We need to understand the meaning of reservation. Based on the spirit of reservation and application of reservation, and the expertise offered by the experts, the government can come to a rationale conclusion as far as the reservation is concerned which will be acceptable to all and which will also provide reservation for the differently abled persons, the government can even go for providing reservation for the economically weaker section – those are lines which we expect the government to review and include in that policy,” he asserted.
To another query, the VPP chief said that there no three tribes in Meghalaya.
“It is wrong to say that there are three tribes in Meghalaya as we have only two tribes – only the Khasis and the Garos. Khasi includes Khynriam, Pnar, Bhoi, War, Lyngngam that means there is only one Khasi tribe,” he added.
He further said the VPP feels that the present policy is not proportionate if going by the population strength of the two tribes and this is one area we want the government to look into.
Stating that the probem is not the roster, Basaiawmoit said, “The roster has to be implemented because if you have a roster, you implement the policy in letter and spirit. If you don’t have the roster that means there is no guarantee that implementation of the policy would be in letter and spirit. That is why the problem is the reservation policy and not the roster. Once you address the policy, the problem will no longer be there.”
Referring to the statement of the deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong that the government’s focus is on the roster not the reservation policy, Basaiawmoit said, “This is because he (Tynsong) doesn’t understand what he is talking about. What is a roster, he has to understand what is a roster. What we are saying is that you stop implementing the roster retrospectively during the pendency of the review of the reservation policy.
If reviewing of the policy is still pending, how will you implement the roster without reviewing the policy.”
“The court says that policy is yet to be implemented in letter and spirit and accidentally it found out and asked for implementation of the roster. That is why deputy chief minister needs to understand that the problem is not the roster but it is the policy. If the policy is okay means there is no problem with the roster also,” he added.
Further, Basaiawmoit said after 50 years of statehood it is high time for the government to review the policly. ”
“After all it is yet to be a proper policy and it is only an executive order and office memorandum,”he stated.