Meghalaya sent two MPs, one from the Congress Party and the other from a regional party the Voice of Peoples’ Party (VPP) which is not aligned to any of the two coalition of parties the NDA or the INDIA group. This leaves the VPP free to support any group based on issues. Soon after the poll results on June 4 and the decisive win of the MP Candidate Dr Ricky AJ Syngkon, VPP supremo Ardent Basaiawmoit while speaking to the media had stated that the VPP would fight corruption at the national level and in Meghalaya combat corruption, poverty and partiality. In its election manifesto the VPP had stated it would amend the National Education Policy 2020 and also review the border dispute resolution mechanism between Meghalaya and Assam. The VPP promised to review the job reservation policy and to implement the Inner-Line Permit (ILP) besides opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the Uniform Civil Code. The VPP reiterated its stand of promoting transparency, accountability, and efficiency in governance and upholding the democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution, including the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens. The Party spoke of upholding principles of secularism in letter and spirit to foster an environment of multiculturalism, peaceful co-existence, and the protection of minorities across the country.
Since the VPP is essentially populated by academicians at the leadership front much has been promised in the education sector. Their manifesto says it will engage with the government to ensure that the central educational institutes cater to the needs of local people in terms of seats for learning, employment, and courses of study and also promote the learning of foreign languages and soft skills by assisting existing institutions.Above all the VPP said it would advocate for bringing Meghalaya under Article 371 to protect the state from the application of central laws affecting the customs and traditions of the people. The VPP further talks about amending the Mines and Mineral Development Regulation Act 1957 to suit local requirements, resist the implementation of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, in Meghalaya, and advocate robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure that large-scale factories operating in the state adhere to national environmental standards while providing economic benefits for the local communities.
The VPP vows to continue the legacy of demanding inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution but it will also oppose the imposition of Hindi while upholding English as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges and as the official language of the state.This manifesto hit all the right notes and it is no surprise that the VPP won by a huge majority. But pragmatism dictates that implementing the VPP manifesto would require all the negotiating skills of the new MP. Passing the ILP, recognition of Khasi language, invoking Article 371 etc., would require constitutional amendments which also means the support of the ruling party – the NDA. It would necessarily mean constantly lobbying for those demands. How Dr Syngkon manages the balancing act will be keenly watched by political observers across the spectrum.
