By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 13: The Meghalaya BJP has expressed its readiness to take up vital and long-pending issues concerning Meghalaya’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) population with both the state and central governments.
The announcement came during the first OBC Morcha meeting since the appointment of new morcha president Dayanand Kumar Singh, which was attended by state president Rikman G Momin, state vice president Bipen Pradhan and state general secretary Wankitbok Pohshna.
Speaking at the meeting, Pohshna highlighted that the government has yet to officially list the OBC castes of Meghalaya. “As a result, the OBC community residing in Meghalaya is unable to avail the 27% reservation in central government jobs and educational institutions,” he said.
He said that the community is not seeking state-level reservation but only wants recognition that would enable them to compete for central posts and admissions, from which they are currently excluded.
In this regard, Pohshna said a BJP delegation will soon meet Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to discuss the community’s grievances and push for the necessary action to be taken.
Noting that consultations with several OBC leaders revealed unanimous support for central recognition, the delegation is further planning to meet key stakeholders to arrive at a consensus and expedite the resolution of the matter.
