SHILLONG:
“Rather, the issue is taken up by the party on the principle of fairness and equity devoid of any element of communalism and chauvinism. VPP is a political party for everyone residing in the state of Meghalaya with an emphasis on the rights of the indigenous people,” VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh said.
VPP was reacting to the statement made by Cabinet Minister and United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Paul Lyngdoh who, on June 5, came down heavily on the VPP and alleged the party of inciting communal hatred between the two major tribes of the state.
Myrboh said that the party was concerned that the Job Reservation Policy of 1972 has produced uneasiness in the minds of the members of the two indigenous ethnic communities – the Khasis and the Garos.
The VPP spokesperson said that given the implementation of the roster system, without a review and a revision of the policy will create a situation where an imbalance of representation in the government service would continuously exist.
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According to him, the policy ought to have been revised a long time back to ensure that the principle of fairness between the two communities prevail but sadly, political parties for their political benefits refused to take responsibility to usher in the much-needed review of the policy.
Myrboh said that the movement of the VPP to review the policy is not to favour any community against the other, but only to ensure that fairness should prevail.
“The VPP is against the policy of establishing the dominance of one ethnic community over the other. The Khasis and the Garos who are the indigenous tribes in the state toiled together during the statehood movement against the Assamese chauvinism. Therefore, let the spirit of fraternity and brotherhood continue to prevail now and in future as well in the interest of both the indigenous communities,” the spokesperson said.
He also said that the VPP is aware and concerned about the lack of development in different parts of the state especially in the educational sector.
According to him, the recent results declared by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) revealed the unpleasant and deplorable scenario of education in the Garo Hills where the pass percentage is much below the state level.
He said that it is unfortunate that various governments, both present and the past, have consistently failed to uplift the educational scenario in the state as a whole and Garo Hills in particular.
Myrboh said that the relative weakness of education in Garo Hills is mainly caused by the utter neglect of government schools.
He reminded that Garo Hills is heavily dependent on the public sector, particularly at the elementary level.
“However, this should not be construed that education in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region is up to the mark. It is a fact that education in the entire state of Meghalaya has been on a steady decline or failing to keep pace with time. This is evident by the inability of our students to compete successfully at the national level,” the VPP spokesperson said.
He said that it is for this reason the VPP, as outlined in its manifesto for the 2023 Assembly election, is committed to improving the educational scenario in the state to build the capacity of the youth to compete at the national level.
According to him, the citizens of Meghalaya have been the victims of corrupt politicians whose corruption permeates every sector and every level of government.
Myrboh said that the members of the political class in different political parties have been responsible for the poor level of development.
“Sadly, the price of corruption has to be paid by the poor and the downtrodden sections of the state, irrespective of the communities they belong to. The state has witnessed the prevalence of extremely rich politicians but poor state and poor people. Meghalaya has consistently been ranked as one of the least-performing states in India. The corruption of the political class has been observed and commented on even by the Meghalaya High Court from time to time,” the spokesperson said.
The VPP said that its objective is to provide strong and effective governance with strong and effective political leadership that would take the state forward for the better future of every citizen.
Myrboh called upon the people of Garo Hills to join hands together with the VPP in its efforts to bring change in the politics of Meghalaya where the political leaders are accountable to the people and work with sincerity for the welfare of the common people.