SHILLONG, April 20: Unwilling to budge from its demand for a review of the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy, the Voice of the People Party (VPP) has threatened to initiate direct action by holding a series of agitations if the state government does not stop all recruitment processes till the policy of 1972 is reviewed.
“We will not hesitate to start our agitational programme if the state government refuses to review the reservation policy,” VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said while addressing the party’s last of three public rallies held at Jaiaw on Thursday evening.
He hinted that the VPP will go to various district headquarters to explain to people that it is asking the government to put on hold the implementation of the roster system as the discrepancies in the present reservation policy need to be rectified.
Basaiawmoit said the VPP’s campaign on the issue can be termed successful since Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who was initially very adamant and advised people to approach the court if they have any grievances with the implementation of the roster system retrospectively, has now decided to hold a meeting of the cabinet to discuss the matter.
“This proves the government has realised that there is people’s support to this movement,” he said.
He slammed the pressure groups for allegedly trying to create fear among the people that the demand to review of the reservation policy will attract the attention of the court.
“Do they mean the judiciary is not aware that two major tribes are enjoying reservation of 40% each? I will urge the pressure groups not to make any comment if they are not well versed with the issue,” Basaiawmoit said.
Stating that the High Court is very much aware of the formula worked out in reservation, he said it had intervened after a petition was filed questioning the reservation policy. He said the court’s direction to implement the reservation policy was a fallout of this case.
VPP MLA Adelbert Nongrum asked why the ten Cabinet ministers from Khasi and Jaintia Hills region of the previous government kept mum when it decided to implement the roster system retrospectively.
“It was the hidden election agenda of the CM to implement the roster retrospectively. We have seen how NPP benefitted from the roster system by winning a maximum number of seats from Garo Hills region,” he said.
