Shillong School principal apologises for allowing use of VPP song

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sep 11: Principal of the Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Jowai has tendered apology after students were allowed to play a song of a particular political party during the just concluded Teacher’s Day celebration at the school.

“The principal had met the Director of School Education & Literacy and apologized I have been told and the reply is being examined by the department,” Education minister Rakkam A Sangma told reporters today.

The notice issued by Director of School Education & Literacy Swapnil Tembe to the principal of the Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Jowai on September 8 had stated, “…it has come to the notice of the undersigned that on the day of celebration of Teachers’ Day at your school, you as the Principal, Govt Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Jowai had wilfully allowed your students to play a song which belongs to a particular political party which is against the Govt conduct rules.”

“In this connection, you are hereby directed to show cause as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for your act of negligence,” the notice had stated.

Meghalaya VPP terms show cause notice as ‘harassment’

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 11: The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) today demanded the Director of School Education and Literacy to immediately withdraw the show cause notice issued against the principal of the Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Jowai for allowing students to play a song which belongs to the party.

In a statement, VPP spokesperson Dr Batskhem Myrboh said, “The Party, therefore, demands that the officer should immediately withdraw his notice and instead should offer an unconditional apology not only to the Principal of the school concerned for the harassment but also to the general public for his attempt to infringe upon the citizens’ right to make choices.”

Stating that show cause notice was unwarranted,” Myrboh said, it is fatuous, condemnable and more importantly worrisome as the development revealed the predicament that plagues the bureaucracy in the State of Meghalaya.

He said that the bureaucracy is supposed to be the most “rational element in the government” with the ability to perform with the “highest degree of efficiency,” but this notice reveals two possibilities.

“The first possibility is that the officer concerned took the initiative on his own and this could be due to his total lack of knowledge and understanding of the Meghalaya Services (Conduct) Rules, 2019 or his over-enthusiasm to impress upon the party(ies) ruling the state for reasons best known to him,” he said.

He also said that in the show cause notice the officer concerned failed to cite any rule which the principal is alleged to be in violation adding “In fact, there is no rule to fix responsibility upon a government servant for the action of the students who are not governed by the Rules of 2019.”

Further, Myrboh said that the second possibility is that the officer in question issued a notice at the directive of his political masters or some terrified politicians.

“It is undoubtedly, some elements are petrified with the response of the people including children in the state to the call of the Voice of the People Party for clean politics. Such elements have the desire to find ways and means to intimidate the people to stop the spread of people’s love for the VPP.”

Meanwhile, the VPP leader said that whatever the possibility is, the issuance of the notice reflects that there is a section in the Meghalaya bureaucracy that is incompetent, irrational and spineless.

“One wonders what will be the future of the state of Meghalaya when we have such officers at the helm of affairs,” he concluded.

Meghalaya VPP Chief Ardent Basiawmoit calls off fast after 221 hours

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.

Meghalaya VPP chief Ardent Basaiawmoit begins indefinite hunger strike

Staff Reporter

Shillong, May 23: Opposition Voice of the People’s Party chief Ardent Basaiawmoit an indefinite hunger strike here today demanding the state government to review the Job Reservation Policy.

“I am holding a hunger-strike demanding the state government to review the 1972 job reservation policy for the tribals in the state. I am firm with my decision to fast indefinitely,” Basaiawmoit told reporters.

He said the demand to review the policy sprung from the fact that the present job reservation policy also specified that the reservation of 40:40 was based on the population of the two major tribes in the state.

Terming the 1972 policy as “unfair and outdated”, he said there is a need to review the policy considering the current population differences.

According to the 2011 census, over 14.1 lakh are Khasis while the Garos are a little over 8.21 lakh.

The VPP president however maintained that he is not against the rights of the Garos to jobs but that he is merely demanding an impartial job reservation policy that would be fair.

At the protest site, opposite the state secretariat, security has been beefed up to prevent any build-up of crowd that would affect the normal flow of traffic.
Hundreds of supporters are dropping by in batches, mostly women, in solidarity with the VPP president.

Other VPP MLAs – Adelbert, Brightstarwell and Heavingstone – are also present at the protest site but are not observing fasting.
VPP party workers are also holding placards in front of their respective MLA’s residence across the state.

Refrain from creating social media groups with party name: VPP

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.

Meghalaya VPP hopeful of forming government in 2028

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 19 (UNI): After winning four out of the 18 seats contested in the just concluded Meghalaya Assembly polls, the Voice of the People Party (VPP) is hopeful to form a government on its own in 2028.

ALSO READ: Budget session of Meghalaya Assembly begins

“We have been able to shape the party in such away that it gives our people hope and we want you to know that as leaders, we don’t have any intention to gain personal benefits but our goal is to achieve our target that in 2028, the VPP will form the government on its own,” VPP chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said.

Addressing VPP’s workers and supporters at the ‘gratitude rally’ organised by the party at Polo ground on Saturday, the VPP legislator claimed that many people have approached the party for ticket for the forthcoming autonomous district councils elections in Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills slated to be held next year.

“People from different parties have approached us for ticket. There is a constituency where over 20 people have requested for party ticket. This is because of the strong VPP wave that is going on (in the region),” he said.

Basaiawmoit said that the party has decided to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level and have appointed organising secretaries.

Hitting out at leaders of other regional parties for “acts of betrayals” which has denied the state to get a government led by a regional force following the assembly polls, Basaiawmoit recalled what had happened during the post-poll when leaders of regional parties along with the Congress and Trinamool Congress were making attempts to form a non-National People’s Party (NPP) and non-BJP government in the state.

“We (VPP) were betrayed by the other regional parties and we could not form the government. Therefore, we decided to be in the opposition,” he said.

The NPP, which won 26 seats falling short of five seats for an absolute majority formed the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA 2.0) government for the second consecutive term with the support of the regional parties and BJP.

Stating that the victory of the VPP in the polls is a “threat” to the NPP, Basaiawmoit said, “The NPP is not scared of any political party, but it is scared of the VPP because we may not be able to win many seats but we were able to win against the money power.”

“Many have predicted that the VPP will win only 1 seat but we have won 4 seats. We lost by a very thin margin in Mylliem constituency and the people there have admitted that they were not really in favour of the Congress but they voted for the party just because they want to ensure the NPP is defeated,” he said.

Meghalaya: VPP to organize ‘rally of gratitude’ at Polo Ground

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 14: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) will organise the ‘rally of gratitude’ at Polo Ground on March 18.

ALSO READ: Meghalaya: Ampareen Lyngdoh stresses on need for regular evaluation of depts.

In the rally, there will be a speech of gratitude to the people of the state for their immense support to the party from its president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, party spokesman Dr Batskhem Myrboh said in a statement issued today.

Also, there will be a felicitation for the composer and singer of the party song, ‘Kongdeng Kongnah ha U Prah’.

All the supporters and sympathisers of the Party are cordially invited to attend the rally, he said.

The VPP won in 4 out of 59 Assembly seats in the just concluded 2023 polls.

Meghalaya: VPP already gearing up for 2024 MP polls

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 8: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has appealed to the citizens of the state to support the party candidates for the upcoming district council and MP elections to be held next year.

In a statement, VPP spokesperson Dr Batskhem Myrboh said however, as of now the party has not decided the names of the candidates for these elections. “The matter will be decided by the party at the appropriate time,” he added.

Expressing appreciation and gratitude to all the supporters of the party across the state, Dr Myrboh said, “Your strong support has made a mark in the politics of Meghalaya when four of our candidates emerge victoriously to represent the issues affecting the citizens of the state. Your support to the party that stands for clean and principled politics and substantive democracy provides hope that the state of Meghalaya will one day be a model state in India- a state that we will be proud of.”

The VPP has won 4 seats in the 60-member House in the just concluded 2023 Assembly polls.