SHILLONG, JUNE 1: Opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Thursday called off his indefinite hunger protest after the state government has decided to constitute the expert committee for reviewing the state job reservation policy.
Addressing a crowd of supporters, Basaiawmoit said,“Since the government had sent a letter to me, which is a notification that the government will constitute an expert committee, we feel that we have achieved what we asked for. Therefore, I feel that it is right on my part to call off this indefinite hunger strike.â€
“I have completed 221 hours and I have a strong faith and I trust completely in God that whatever I do it is not for my personal benefit, it is for the benefit of the general people and the state as a whole, which I feel that God listened and he sees that and give me the strength to sustain,†he said.
Basaiawmoit said the VPP is also demanding the state government to put on hold all job recruitment process till the job reservation policy is reviewed by the expert committee.
The VPP chief also said that his party will not allow the state government to delay the matter by ensuring that the expert committee is time bound to complete its task to review the reservation policy.
He said that the VPP’s protest is not against any particular community but we only want to bring a just and fair policy.
“VPP is a state party. Our intention is not to concentrate only in the Khasi region but we will also be going to Garo Hills explaining to our Garo brothers that we want to see overall development in the state, not only in a particular region.â€
Asked if the decision to put on hold the recruitment process will not affect the unemployed youths of the state, the VPP leader however said, “Which is why it depends on the government how to speed up the process of reviewing this present job reservation policy and the government can apply its wisdom on how to deal with those unemployed youths.â€
