By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 9: The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Saturday accused the state government of avoiding a “serious and comprehensive discussion” on the reservation policy in the Meghalaya Assembly and instead shifting the matter to an all-party meeting.
Defending its decision to stay away from the recent all-party meeting convened by the government on the Expert Committee report on the state reservation policy, the VPP said its stand was based on principle and constitutional propriety.
In a statement issued by party spokesperson A.W. Rani, the VPP reiterated that its core demand has consistently been a review and revision of the reservation policy based on the population ratio.
The party maintained that the Assembly was the “most appropriate, democratic, and constitutional platform” for deliberating on the issue, but said that the government chose not to hold a detailed discussion in the House.
The VPP also claimed that the Expert Committee had conveniently termed the matter “sensitive” while avoiding meaningful recommendations for reform. It argued that justice and fairness could not be denied indefinitely under the pretext of sensitivity.
Questioning the intent behind the all-party meeting, the VPP alleged that the exercise appeared more like a political formality than a sincere attempt to resolve the issue. It further claimed that most parties attending the meeting were either directly or indirectly part of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, and the Congress had accepted the Expert Committee’s recommendations.
According to the party, it had reason to believe that the meeting was structured more to dilute or sabotage its demand than to address the imbalance in the reservation system. It said its decision to stay away from the meeting was therefore “intentional and politically conscious”.
At the same time, the VPP asserted its commitment to the welfare and rights of indigenous people and stated that it would welcome any genuine move by the government to increase the Khasi-Jaintia reservation quota to 47%.
The party also slammed the Chief Minister’s “misleading” statement that the real issue was not attendance at the meeting, asking whether the government was sincere about correcting the imbalance in the reservation system.
