SHILLONG, April 17: With the opposition to the “retrospective” implementation of the roster reservation system gathering steam, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday said the government would take all stakeholders on board before moving forward on the complicated and sensitive issue of the roster system. He said the matter is being discussed with a government team for resolution.
However, the Voice of the People Party (VPP) remains adamant on its stand that the government should put on hold the roster system and review the Meghalaya State reservation Policy, 1972.
The CM told reporters that the process of consultation would start soon. “We need to ensure that while we try to resolve it, all stakeholders are taken on board,” he said.
Sangma said an internal meeting will be held this week but the government may take some time as the matter entails going through a lot of documents and court orders.
The government will then hold meetings with the leaders of the political parties and other stakeholders before taking a final decision.
On the observations of the political parties on the matter, Sangma said everyone has a right to express views in a democracy.
He downplayed the theories that the issue was dividing the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities.
“This (creating divisions) is not something uncommon. We have seen how it (the reservation issue) played out in Karnataka recently. It is natural but what is important is for us to come together and figure out how we can move forward together,” he said.
Meanwhile, the VPP organised the first of its three public rallies at Madan Heh, Mawlai Mawdatbaki on Monday.
VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said the party has been forced to go to people as the state government did not give its MLAs enough time to deliberate on the twin issues.
He said ten minutes given to them in the Assembly is not acceptable.
Basaiawmoit said the VPP is not against any tribe which is a part and parcel of the state. He said the party wanted the government to put the implementation of the roster system on hold till the reservation policy is reviewed.
“It is really sad that there is an attempt to mislead people on the stand of the party. We took up this issue after seeing many youths in depression as they are not sure about getting employment,” the VPP president said.
He suggested that the state government can constitute a committee with experts and leaders from the Khasi and Garo communities to deliberate on the discrepancies in the reservation policy. He stressed that it should cater to the differently-abled people and those from economically weaker sections.
“The present reservation policy is not proportionate if we look in terms of the population of the state’s two major tribes,” Basaiawmoit said.
He urged the people of Khasi and Jaintia Hills to support the VPP’s movement so that the state government could be pressured to comply with the two demands.
The VPP organised the rally to give a proper and correct perspective to people on the “unjust implementation of the roster system based on the unfair premise of the existing job reservation policy”.
The second public rally will be held at Iawmusiang, Jowai, at 12 noon on April 19 while the third will be organised at Jaiaw at 2 pm on April 20.
