SHILLONG/TURA, May 28: After the opposition Voice of the People Party, ally United Democratic Party has asked the National People’s Party-led MDA 2.0 government to immediately convene an all-party meeting to review the reservation policy.
The state government has said it would hold discussions on the roster system but not the reservation policy.
“We had a meeting of all the party leaders, MLAs, and MDCs. We decided to appeal to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to convene an all-party meeting immediately to deliberate on reviewing the reservation policy,” UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh said on Sunday.
UDP chief Metbah Lyngdoh had a few days ago said that the review of the reservation policy was one of the agendas of his party’s election manifesto and that it would take up the issue with the government at an appropriate time.
“A committee has been constituted on the roster system, which we want to be effective prospectively. The reservation policy, on our party’s manifesto, needs to be examined too,” Mawthoh said.
He added that some of the other political parties also had the reservation policy in their respective election manifesto.
“We will be able to come to an understanding on the reservation policy if all the stakeholders come together and give their suggestions,” Mawthoh said.
“There is no harm in deliberating on it and coming out with a solution that is non-discriminatory and acceptable to everybody,” he said.
On the other hand, the Deputy Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the GHADC, Nikman Ch Marak, on Sunday said that they are grateful to the leaders for coming up with the job reservation policy, while making it clear that they are not in favour of its review.
“The policy has been made since the inception of the state looking at the backwardness of the Garo Hills region. Also former leaders have seen the education, economy and everything from all sides and prepared the reservation policy so that the Garo Hills region will also be developed and compete with other region of the state,” said Marak, who is also the vice president of Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC).
“We are grateful to the former leaders who have made this policy and we require this policy in times to come also”.
He stressed that the review is not required as of now. “We are still struggling and after so many years, we are developing slowly. We are not in favour of reviewing the reservation policy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Garo Students Union (GSU) president Tengsak Gabil Momin reserved his comments on the issue. He, however, said that he will attend the meeting of all stakeholders on May 31 called by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, and only then, he would be in a position to comment.
Unlike the GSU, the A•chik Conscious Holistically Integrated Krima (ACHIK) has declined to attend the meeting on roster citing various reasons.
In its letter to the Joint Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, the organisation observed that the venue for the Reservation Roster for the A•chik stakeholders should be in Tura, as Tura has been the Capital for A•chik people.
With regard to the demand for the Winter Capital in Tura, the organisation said that it should be taken as a separate agenda for talks, the negligence of which would be whitewash of the interests of the A•chik community of Meghalaya as well.
“The press statement released in every news media on May 3 by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma clearly says that he is ready to hold talks with all stakeholders in every district, and we duly trusts his words,” the ACHIK said and requested the arrangement of a meeting in Tura for the Garo community.
