Editor,
After all the allegations made against the Commission on the recently concluded MCS exams, kudos to the commission for being able to declare the final list of selected candidates within a span of 7 days! Most examinations require a minimum of one month or more to do the same! Through this letter, we would like to highlight an odd coincidence, wherein the names of three rank-holders in the said list were, in fact, reflected in the list of rejected candidates, dated 16.11.2017.
Elaborating on the oddity of the entire state of affairs, we will take you through a brief but succinct list of events that unfolded. MPSC had advertised for the MCS post on 24.07.2017 vide letter no. MPSC/ADVT-38/1/2017-2018/21. Subsequently, a list of rejected (proposed) candidates, dated 16.11.2017, was notified vide notice no. MPSC/EX-C/23/2017-2018/28. As per the usual recruitment process, these rejected candidates were to file their representations by 30.11.2017. An additional list of rejected candidates, dated 28.11.2017, was notified vide notice no. MPSC/EX-C/23/2017-2018/72, wherein this lot were to file their representations by 07.12.2017. Thereafter, after having considered and scrutinized the said representations, MPSC, on 29.12.2017, vide notice no. MPSC/D -108/2/2017-2018/16, put forth the eligibility list, stating and we quote, “The representations filed by 106 (one hundred and six) candidates have been placed before the Commission, 54 (fifty four) candidates have been found to be eligible and hence accepted”.
Here’s what’s bizarre – The names of rank-holders 4, 19 and 37 of the list of selected MCS candidates, featured in the list of rejected candidates, dated 16.11.2017. However, these names did not reflect in the Eligibility List dated 29.12.2017, presuming they were amongst the 106 candidates who had filed their representations. Then, wouldn’t it be correctly concluded, that their eligibility for the MCS exam ended there? But lo, a fresh rejection list was notified by MPSC, dated 13.06.2018, vide Notice no. MPSC/EX-C/23/2017-2018/82, wherein representations, if any, were to be filed by 27.06.2018. In this very notice, the names of these specific rank-holders do not feature anymore! But the strangeness doesn’t end there. The subsequent Eligibility List, dated 02.07.2018, notified vide notice no. MPSC/D-103/2/2017-2018/162, does not reflect their names either!
Two primary questions remain – The Commission must have been ready and all set with the list of candidates who were to appear for the preliminary exam, on or before 19.01.2018, presumably. Why, then, did the Commission publish an additional list of rejected candidates, dated 13.06.2018, when the process of filtering the candidates had already been completed?
And for the substantial part, nowhere in the eligibility lists, dated 29.12.2017 and 02.07.2018 respectively, do the names of rank-holders 4, 19 and 37 appear. How, then, did the Commission include in the final list of selectees (MCS), dated 29.04.2021, the names of the said rank-holders whose names have, not once, been reflected in the eligibility lists but, in fact, appeared in the list of rejected candidates, dated 16.11.2017? Is this, what one calls, breezing through the procedure of examinations, which, by the way, includes a written examination as well as an interview? Not to mention, one must be ‘qualified’ and ‘selected’ in order to take the examinations?
Oh, the ire the Commission receives till date, is everything but undeserving!
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
UDP: A Khasi-Centric Party
Editor,
Recently while I was going through multiple videos on YouTube, the GHADC campaign videos dominated my feed as if the algorithm in the platform knew the interest that the Garo District Council (GDC) election had entailed and engrossed the people of Garo Hills.
From the high-profile campaign of the National People’s Party (NPP) – the current ruling party in the State and the incumbent party seeking another term to run the Executive Committee (EC) in GHADC to the low profile campaign by the Congress party, Garo Hills caught the attention of many people in the Northeast for the first time for a council election. One would agree that even the more influential councils in Meghalaya like the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) had never seen the kind of high energy and high intensity campaign that the people of Garo Hills experienced in the last two months.
The BJP through its aggressive money and muscle power was able to create headlines and get traction, however, most Garos would agree that the BJP will never be their choice simply because of its anti-Christian ideology and the way the party wants to regulate people; be it in our kitchens where it wants to interfere with what we eat or what we wear. The BJP is best defined as a Hindi heartland party with an objective to create a Hindutva land which the people of Meghalaya will always reject.
However, another interesting entrant to the council election is the United Democratic Party (UDP) where most Garos felt that in a GHADC election it was campaigning either in Shillong or West Khasi Hills. The star campaigners of the UDP were all Khasis from Shillong with not a single Garo as part of their star campaigner’s list. If we go by the words of their President where he said the formation of UDP started from Garo Hills, then it is an utter disappointment that today not even one Garo leader is a part of the central executive body of the party and a bunch of Khasi legislators want to rule and dictate terms to GHADC. Their sheer bravado coupled with inept behaviour towards the people of Garo Hills and their own candidates left them losing all the seats the Party had contested for.
Over the years when I was in Shillong, I had the opportunity to interact with many Khasi intellectuals who looked up to the UDP as a party fighting for the rights and cause of the Khasi and Jaintia people against outsiders including the Garos. The party ideology and principles are about fighting for the greater Khasi land where Garo sentiments and feelings have no value let alone representing us. It is also important to note, that UDP has never been able to form a government on its own and its performance can best be described as a ‘fly by night operator.’ The famous expression from Texas is what UDP can be best described as – ‘All Hat and No Cattle’.
Most Garos living in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, do feel like second-class citizens in their own State since the Khasis and Jaintias dominate every sphere whether business, administration, politics etc. As a Garo, I would not be wrong to say that we feel like second generation Indians in America where white supremacist Americans treat people of Indian origin as useless and of no value. With all of this, UDP is definitely a party for and by the Khasis and sadly, Garos have no place in it.
Yours etc,
Christina Marak
Shillong -19
Let’s be grateful
Editor,
I live in Police Bazar and have seen the applaudable change in the behavior pattern of the public in and around the area. This has happened because of the commendable work by the DC’s office staff, the office of NHM, the Covid Task force and the people of the area including the hawkers and daily bread earners from outside the locality. For instance Dr Lana E. Nongbri has been very regular with visits in Police Bazaar and has been enforcing strict protocols for Covid19, be it with vehicles or the streets. In-fact your social media had reported that Rs 2000 fine was imposed for not wearing a mask.
Officers of the DC’s office have been moving all over Police Bazaar, Keating Road, Thana Road, Quinton Road etc., and have done a commendable job. Hence for members of the State Level Medical Expert Committee to say that authorities have failed is uncalled for. In fact they are undermining the work done by their own comrades. Dr Sarkar, with due respect must be aware that vaccination not only for Covid but for other ailments is a tough challenge to roll out in Meghalaya, especially in rural areas. Vaccination will happen slowly but surely. Meanwhile, I request the authorities to kindly ensure proper physical distancing at the Umling gate. This is because, I feel, most of the people are actually getting the virus while standing in that queue with no physical distancing. We save our borders; we save our communities. Our population is small which is an advantage as we can aspire to be the first 100% vaccinated state. This will open unlimited tourism potentials and opportunities for earning for our state which is in dire straits financially.
Yours etc.,
Harsh Jhunjhunwala
4th Generation Resident
Via email