By Bhogtoram Mawroh
A few days ago, my friend and I were getting ready for dinner while discussing how the expert committee’s report on reservation might play out, especially now that it has been clarified that population cannot be used as a criterion for granting reservation. We were curious as to how the VPP, which spearheaded the agitation for review of the state reservation policy, would react. Would they accept the expert committee recommendations, or reject them? And if they chose the latter, what would be their future course of action? Will there be another hunger strike? Or will they go to the courts since they, most probably, still believe that reservation based on population is constitutionally valid and therefore the recommendations made by the expert committee are biased towards the government?
Personally, I hope they will approach the courts so that the public is spared the confusion. In the end, any change in the reservation policy will be challenged in the courts, which will have the last say in the matter. So, it’s best not to politicize the issue anymore and do the right thing. Once the issue goes to the court, three things can happen – either the court accepts VPP’s argument for designing the state reservation policy based on population; the status quo is maintained, or the reservation is capped at 50%, which is the norm now. Whatever the outcome from the courts, we can all finally move on from the issue and try to mend the fissures created between the Khasi and the Garo, something which will take some time.
The agitation on reservation captured the public imagination and brought the VPP tremendous political dividends in the form of the Shillong MP seat and control over the KHADC. Many, including my friend and I, however, have argued that reservation based on population is not legally tenable. So, now that the report is out and hopefully the party goes to court, the public will finally know whether VPP was ill-informed or whether they were deliberately misleading the people for political gains. And as we were trying to understand the possible fallout of the reservation policy report, we got the shocking news of Ricky AJ Syngkon, Member of Parliament from Shillong and general secretary of the VPP, succumbing to a cardiac arrest while playing futsal in Mawlai Mawiong. We were both stunned and deeply disturbed because we knew Ricky not just as a politician but also as our teacher in college.
I met Ricky for the first time in my college where he took a paper on economics. He was a very steady teacher – someone who did the job required of him to the best of his ability. After that I again encountered him when he became the MP. This was during the funeral ceremony for Tarun Bhartiya in Lumpyngngad when he came to pay his respects. I was very critical of the VPP’s attempt to use the reservation policy to create communal tensions at a time when the crisis in Manipur was at its most critical period. There was talk on the streets that if the government did not accede to the demand for review of the policy, a Manipur-like situation could develop in the state as well. In the last few years, we had already witnessed many disturbances, which included the conflict around Them Ïew Mawlong. On one occasion, my friend and I narrowly escaped being caught in a clash between the mob and the police while trying to cross Wahingdoh on our way to Khyndailad. So, I was worried that a similar situation could arise in Meghalaya as well. Fortunately, despite the tension, the people of Meghalaya found a way not to succumb to the instigation, and we were spared a disaster. So, I was very critical of the party and hence of Ricky’s candidature for the MP seat from Shillong.
When I saw Ricky at the funeral, I tried to avoid him. But when he saw me, he came towards me, smiled, and shook my hand. I was taken aback by it as I thought he would also ignore me. We didn’t talk, but it was apparent he held no ill feelings against me. I met him again a couple of times and again he didn’t ignore me. On one occasion we sat together for dinner. Patricia Mukhim was also present and she tried to provoke him by asking whether the VPP was becoming close to the BJP. I also chimed in by telling him that the way he was talking about Viksit Bharat during his address to the program, it seemed he was supporting Modi’s agenda. It was, of course, banter and he took it in the right spirit.
My few interactions with him were pleasant. I do not subscribe to the VPP’s version of jaidbynriew politics in how it is blatantly targeting the non-indigenous community by making it difficult for them to do business, the only avenue left for the community to survive in the state. Love for our own community should not translate into hate for others. So, while on an ideological level we had disagreements, I think we would have had no problem sitting on the same platform and talking about issues which concerned the community and the state. In this regard, his biggest asset was his humble nature.
Another friend who saw him in Delhi told me how he would sit alone in his shorts and eat lunch in the canteen as an ordinary person. He did not think of himself as a ‘don burom’ who felt they no longer belonged with ordinary people. I remember a teacher from the University who had been in a very important position in the administration. The position came with its perks, which included a vehicle with a driver. This teacher would sit in the front with the driver. When the vehicle stopped, he would wait for the driver to get down, go all the way round, and open the door for him. I am sure there are many incumbent MLAs/MDCs and ministers who do the same. Ricky drove himself on his scooter and did not need all this pretension. That was one character trait which endeared him to the common people. So, while the agitation on the reservation policy played an instrumental role in getting him elected to Parliament, his calm demeanor and humility were also what attracted the people to him. His loss, therefore, is something that will be felt not just by the party but by a large section of the population.
Ricky was in office for less than two years and it is difficult to judge his performance. He did raise the issue of illegal coal mining in the state, which due to the Thangsko incident has become a national headline. The manner in which Vincent Pala, Congress candidate for the Shillong MP seat, chose not to blame the government after the incident showed that, had it not been for Ricky, the issue would have never been raised in Parliament. I was particularly impressed by his opening speech in Parliament where his love for the community and the homeland was on full display. At the end of the day we are, after all, ‘para doh para snam’, i.e., ‘born from the same flesh and blood’, and for that reason even though we have disagreements there is a chance we can meet somewhere in between. Ricky symbolized that space and with him gone, we will need another voice that can bridge that gap.
For the VPP, now that the fallout of the report on the reservation policy is imminent, a calm and humble voice like his could have soothed those who will feel betrayed by the party over the issue. It remains to be seen how the party will deal with the loss in a political manner. But more importantly, Ricky was also a close friend to many in the party, and the loss they would be feeling right now is not about any political implications but about the departure of a loved one. And for that I offer my condolences. I hope the party, his family, and loved ones will always find a way to remember him for his kindness and humility. The state has become poorer today.
(The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect in any way his affiliation to any organisation or institution)
