SHILLONG:
VPP chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on May 12 said it is wrong to say that the people of Khasi-Jaintia Hills do not wish to bring a change in the reservation policy.
“It doesn’t mean that just because you don’t win election that you can come to a conclusion that the people of the state do not support the issue. It would be wrong to say that the people in Khasi and Jaintia Hills do not support or do not wish to bring a change in the reservation policy,” Basaiawmoit told reporters.
He said that statement given by responsible elected leaders should be based on facts not on “frustration” and not which is “baseless in nature”.
Basaiawmoit was reacting to a recent statement made by United Democratic Party (UDP) leader and cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh who had claimed that majority of the constituencies are not interested in any change of the reservation policy.
Lyngdoh had reminded that the UDP had in fact listed as number one on its manifesto a change of the reservation policy and said, “We fielded 46 candidates and only 11 of us won. Even if you only think of the Khasi-Jaintia sector, we won 11 out of 36, minus the 10 we fielded in the Garo Hills, so it means that the majority of the constituencies are not interested in any change of the reservation policy.”
He had also said that it also means that 25 constituencies did not favour a change of the reservation policy adding “even if you combine UDP 11 plus VPP 4 that will still make it 15 and 15 out of 36 is still not a majority”.
Basaiawmoit also reacted to the appeal made by the former chief minister Mukul Sangma to leaders of all political parties to avoid discussion on the reservation policy and said, “I don’t know what does he (Mukul) mean by avoiding discussion on the reservation policy. I don’t know what was in his mind so let him explain why. He must give a valid reason why we should not discuss this issue.”