Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 30: The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) today termed the allegation that the party is promoting communalism among communities living in the state as totally ‘baseless and erroneous’ and said implementing the roster system without reviewing the reservation policy disproportionately affects the youth from a particular community who has to bear the burden of historical circumstances.

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In a statement, VPP spokesperson Dr Batshkhem Myrboh said the condemnation and protest by certain individuals and groups against the VPP for impressing upon the NPP led the MDA-2 government to review the reservation policy and to withhold the implementation of the roster system during the pendency of such a review is unfortunate, uncalled for and unreasonable.

He said it is a known fact that reservation policy is a sensitive matter, but its sensitivity should not prevent the rational application of the mind to it.

It is an undeniable fact that the state job reservation policy lacks a rational and justifiable basis as it totally ignores the ground realities such as the population structure of the state and the right of the differently abled persons besides others.

Dr Myrboh said that the VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit in fact presented a mature and responsible speech in the just concluded Meghalaya Legislative Assembly regarding the reservation policy and the roster system.

In the speech, he (Basaiawmoit) categorically clarified that he never intended to bring deprivation and that he was never against any community. All communities should enjoy the benefits and privileges according to what they deserve.

He said it may be reminded that VPP is a party formed by the conscious, responsible, honest and peace-loving but fact-speaking people of the state adding clean politics with zero tolerance for corruption, nepotism and undue political influence in the functioning of all recruitment bodies or boards is the strong founding principle of the Party.

Urging the people of the state across communities not to fall prey to the attempt of people with vested interest to incorrectly malign the Party as being communal and bigot, the VPP leader said, “We are cognizant of the fact that every effort is being made to tarnish the image of the Party with the ill intent to stop its influence and spread from reaching every nook and corner of the state; the reason being that the Party has unsettled the electoral performances of those who view and practice corruption and deceitfulness as essential ingredients of politics.”

Further, the VPP welcomes and appeals the people of Garo Hills to join hands with the party to make an all-Meghalaya party to bring development and progress as we are committed to bring alternative politics in the state.

“VPP is the only hope for a true future for Meghalaya. The leaders of those parties (or their earlier parties) who enjoy overwhelming support in the Garo Hills consistently fail to bring development in Garo Hills. Though such parties unreasonably oppose any attempt to rationalise the state job reservation policy, yet they are not serious in the development of the region, especially in the education sector,” Dr Myrboh said.

“Non-seriousness in the development of education is the greatest disservice that any leader or party can commit against any community. When there is a lack of competitiveness of our, such leaders and parties should take full responsibility,” he asserted while maintaining that the VPP is fully committed to developing and empowering the youth irrespective of the communities and sections they belong to and to making them nationally competitive.