‘Members must know state’s history, culture’

SHILLONG, June 11: The opposition Trinamool Congress on Sunday observed that the expert committee to review the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy of 1972 should consist of people well versed with the state’s history, ethos, and cultural diversity.
“I think any committee should have members who know the history, ethos, and cultural diversity of the state. People not acquainted with the state cannot be members,” TMC vice-president, George B. Lyngdoh said.
The state government appointed a three-member search committee, headed by Chief Secretary DP Wahlang to recommend names for the constitution of a five-member expert panel to review the 51-year-old reservation policy.
Insisting that the state has been cosmopolitan in its approach, Lyngdoh said the historical perspective of the reservation policy should be taken into account.
The TMC leader suggested accommodating the views of all stakeholders, including political parties and responsible citizen groups before the views of the experts are finalised for presentation before the citizens of the state.
The UDP, on the other hand, underlined the constitutional, legal, demographic, economic, and social contradictions of the existing reservation policy.
UDP general secretary, Jemino Mawthoh stressed the need to come up with a solution that is “non-discriminatory, practical, and acceptable to the people of all the reserved categories in the state”.
Pointing out that there are larger issues that need to be addressed, he said the growing unemployment rate and the lack of opportunities must be looked into by the expert committee.
“We need to think rationally to ventilate the problems of the youth and focus on channelising their energy and potential in the right direction. Thousands of youth graduate every year and their academic investments should not be a wasted effort,” he said.
Mawthoh further said the state needs to open up in diverse areas and invite private players for sectoral development and gainful employment for the growing young population.
“We have the means. What is required is the will to propel the state forward and come out of this mess that we have created in the last few decades,” he said.
The UDP also favoured the review of the reservation policy and had recently met some legal luminaries to understand the issue better. At the same time, the party said reviewing the job quota policy would not put an end to the unemployment problem in the state.
Earlier, bowing to pressure, the NPP-led MDA 2.0 government notified the constitution of an expert committee to review the reservation policy.
The committee is expected to consist of experts in constitutional law, economics, sociology, demographic studies, and related fields. The names of the members would be notified by the government.
The decision on an expert committee was based on the recommendation of the Committee on Reservation Roster, headed by Law Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, which had observed that it is not competent enough to deal with the divergent opinions of its members on the reservation policy.