SHILLONG, MAY 15: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Monday announced its decision to organize a sit-in-demonstration on May 17, as a mark of protest against the state government’s adamant attitude towards the party demand for putting on hold all recruitment process till the reservation policy is reviewed.
“In view of the adamant attitude and non-response of the NPP led MDA 2.0 government to the demand of the Party on the need to put on hold all the recruitment process in the state till the state job reservation policy and the implementation of the roster system is reviewed by an expert committee, the Party will organize a sit-in demonstration at the parking lot near the Additional Secretariat on Wednesday, the 17th May, 2023 from 10 am to 4pm,” VPP spokesperson Dr Batskhem Myrboh said in a statement issued here.
The decision was taken after the 48-hour ultimatum to the state government had expired here.
Myrboh said that the party workers and the public are urged to participate in the protest to put pressure on the NPP led government.
“It may be noted that this government is trying to make itself immune to logic, fairness and public concerns,” he said while adding that the other programmes will be subsequently announced.
On May 12, the VPP had submitted a letter to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma after a public meeting was held at the parking lot near the additional secretariat.
During the meeting, VPP chief Ardent M Basaiawmoit had maintained that the party would have no other option but to call for series of agitations against the government’s adamant attitude to put on hold the recruitment process.
He had said this is the party’s second letter to the government after it has failed to respond to the first letter which demanded for convening of the Assembly’s special session for discussion on this sensitive issue.
The VPP chief had said that the party’s stand is very clear that the problem is not with the roster system but it is with the entire policy.
“The policy is not proportionate so how can you divide the policy by two. You need to understand the population structure of the state, you need to see that the population of Khasi-Jaintia is more than the population in Garo Hills so how do you expect that the policy will be reserved equally between the two,” he had said.
Stating that the VPP’s fight is for the benefit of both the ‘Khasis’ and the ‘Garos’, Basaiawmoit had said, “When we fight for the reservation it doesn’t mean that we fight for ourselves only. We fight so that this reservation is ‘just and fair’ for these two communities.”
Alleging that the present reservation policy is giving ample opportunities to non-residents of the state, he had said, “As we know, according to the present policy it even gives a chance to the tribes from outside the state to enjoy this reservation policy. Therefore, this reservation policy has to be for Garos of Meghalaya and has to be for the Khasis in Meghalaya not any other tribes coming from any other states. So it is for their own good that we are trying to bring a solution on this issue.”