Staff Reporter

Shillong, June 18: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has opined that the new Office Memorandum (OM) on Reservation Policy – Maintenance of Reservation Roster issued by the state government is a “retrospective roster system” and is “illegal and illogical”.

The party also asked political parties – Congress, TMC, HSPDP, UDP – which have expressed satisfaction over the roster presentation, if they would take responsibility for the retrospective implementation of the roster by the state government.

The KHNAM further asked the Voice of the People Party (VPP) to look into the ‘illegal’ roster and its negative impact.

“The new OM is a retrospective rosters system, presented in a complicated manner to confuse the general public at large. We will not rest to fight against the illegal/illogical retrospective rosters,” KHNAM working president Thomas Passah said in a statement here.

This came after the government has issued the new OM on June 14, after the State Cabinet had recently decided to amend the OM dated May 10, 2022.

Passah said that while comparing the OM dated 10 May 2022 and the OM dated 14 June 2023 , it seems that they are not much different.

“It is obvious that the new OM does not specify the cut-off date and it does not state that the roster system will take effect from 10 May 2022 as promised to all political parties in the meeting held on two occasions. Seemingly, the Government is hiding the facts on the retrospective nature of the rosters system,” he said.

He further cited, “The apparent difference between the two OMs is that the words ‘and details of backlog reserved .....cycle’  mentioned in para B-6 of the old OM have been deleted. However the cause of the backlog which was in OM 2022 ‘An account shall be noted in the reservation roster indicating representation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo’ does still exist in the present OM at para B-6.

Also, the words ‘after making entries....remark column" appearing in para D-2 of the old OM have been deleted. And the content at Para D-3 of the old OM has been deleted in toto’.

Passah further added, “Nowhere in new OM is there any mention about the prospective implementation of the roster system and as agreed upon by the pa during the all political party meeting and throughout that “As long as the Government is taking into accounts the data from 1972 while maintaining the Roster Account/Register, the Roster system cannot be prospective. It is also to be pointed out that even the present new OM does not cater the employment made under Para 2 and 3 of the SRP 1972 which talks about lapses of quota.”

Meanwhile, the KHNAM leader said that the party would also put questions to the political parties (Congress, TMC, HSPDP, UDP) who have express satisfaction over the rosters presentation given by the Government, whether, they would take responsibility for the retrospective roster being implemented by the NPP Government.

“All these political parties have to prove whether they are just partners in the NPP government or Slave,” he said.

Asking the VPP to also look into the illegal roster system, Passah said, “We have always support the VPP for the demand of the Review of the old aged SRP 1972, while vis-à-vis, trying to fight to ensure that the roster is Prospective instead of Retrospective. We know that the VPP has kept silence on the Rosters and emphasized on the review of SRP. However, as seen by now, it may be mentioned that the review of RSP might take time more than expected, and we see that it is important and may be of more priority to take on Roster implementation for the welfare of the youth of the state, therefore, we hope that the VPP also looks into the illegal illogical roster and its negative impact.”