Staff Reporter

Shillong, June 1: Opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit today called off his indefinite hunger protest after completing 221 hours of fasting following the state government’s decision to constitute the expert committee for reviewing the 1972 job reservation policy.

Basaiawmoit broke his 10 days of rigorous fasting by receiving food from his wife and prayer in front of a crowd of supporters at the protest venue.

This was after the state government had officially communicated to the VPP chief about its decision to issue a notification for constituting the expert committee as per the recommendation of the Ampareen Lyngdoh-led committee of all political parties, which met on Wednesday.

Announcing the party’s decision to call off the protest, 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.”
“I have completed 221 hours (of fasting) 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 gives me the strength to sustain,” he added.

Basaiawmoit also asked the state government to put on hold all job recruitment processes till the job reservation policy is reviewed by the expert committee.

“The government has already announced (its decision to put on hold all recruitment processes) and we want the government to continue with it during the pending review of the job reservation policy,” he said.
The VPP chief also maintained 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 of reviewing the reservation policy.
“We will not allow this committee to go on year after year. It has to have a time-bound,” he said while adding that the fight on the issue will continue and it doesn’t mean by calling off the agitation, the VPP will close the chapter to discuss the issue.

“We will keep on discussing and we will see at the right time what we will do (if there is any delay by the state government to review the job reservation policy),” he further added.

Reiterating that the VPP’s protest is not against any particular community, Basaiawmoit said, “We only want to bring a ‘just and fair’ policy.”

Also stating that the VPP is a state party, he said, “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.”

According to him, some politicians may like to instigate but as of now, there is no such communal feeling arising out of the issue.
On the demand of the headmen from Jaintia Hills for 20 per cent job reservation for the Pnar people, Basaiawmoit however said, “Don’t talk about 2-3 persons’ remarks. You see the comments of many headmen of that area then you will see and these are the kinds of politics that we don’t want to involve or practice.”

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.”

Meanwhile, VPP leaders were also seen cleaning the protest venue at the parking lot adjacent to the Additional Secretariat.

The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has urged people to avoid creation of social media groups in the name of the party without the permission from the office of the party.

In a statement, VPP spokesperson Dr Batskhem Myrboh said the party expressed its happiness for the growing support of the people who in the last few months a few have become enthusiastic to create different social media groups including WhatsApp groups using the name of the Party in one way or the other.

“However, it is strongly advised to avoid the creation of any social media group in the name of the Party without the permission from the Office of the Party,” he said.

He also said this advisory is issued in view of two reasons: first is the necessity to maintain strict discipline within the Party and second is to pre-empt the efforts of any anti-party element from creating confusion and division within the party and also to malign the image of the Party.

“It is strongly expected that such unofficial social media groups, if there are any, should be deleted and no new group should be created,” the party spokesperson said while adding that the party shall not take responsibility for any untoward incident arising from such unofficial groups.

“It is expected that the decision of the party is respected,” he added.

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 27: Opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) Chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit has sought action against those behaving themselves as “VIPs” by using tinted glasses.

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Raising the issue during the question hour in the Assembly, Basaiawmoit said there are too many people who are behaving themselves as VIPs. He alleged that such people using tinted glasses sometimes are friends, relatives or business partners of those at the helm of affairs.

Wanting to know the steps taken against such violators, the Nongkrem legislator said that the Supreme Court on April 27, 2012, prohibited the use of tinted glass on vehicles beyond the permissible limit prescribed under the Motor Vehicles Act, saying its use was a social evil and helped criminals to escape from the clutches of law.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia said the manufacturer may produce the vehicles with tinted glasses having Visual Light Transmission (VLT) of safety glasses windscreen (front and rear) as 70 per cent and side glasses as 40 per cent VLT, respectively.

The bench had directed the Home Secretary, as well as police heads of the respective states to ensure compliance with its direction, which would become operative on May 4, 2012.

He said that the bench had also stated: “Use of these black films has been proved to be a criminal’s paradise and a social evil. This certainly helps the criminals to escape from the eyes of the police and aids in the commission of heinous crimes like sexual assaults on women, robberies, kidnapping etc. If these crimes can be reduced by enforcing the prohibition of law, it would further the cause of Rule of Law and Public interest as well.”

In his reply, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma assured the House that immediate action is taken whenever complaints have come to the notice of the government and said, “Even in my vehicle I don’t put black films”.

There are 103 VIPs in the different categories, including 2 under the Z+ category, 10 Z category, 19 Y category and 72 X category.

Sangma, however, said the security entitlements of protected persons are as per the ‘Yellow Book’, a secret document of security arrangement adding hence, he is restricted to give too many details on the yellow book.