The A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement (AHAM) has come out against any changes to the state’s reservation policy if it harms Garo interests.
Demands for amendments to the reservation policy, which sets aside 40 per cent of state government jobs for the Garo community and another 40 per cent for the Khasi-Jaiñtias, have made the news recently as the issue has been raised by North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum. A student, Bari Pyngrope, is also aiming to make it a non-political, common man-driven issue.
Today, AHAM, through a press release, described such moves as “political gimmicks” that could inflame communal passions.
Suggested proposals would almost certainly reduce the representation of the Garo community – either if the reservation is clubbed together at 80 per cent (putting Garos in direct competition with Khasi-Jaiñtias) or if the Garo share is reduced to give more weight to the Khasi-Jaiñtia community.
“The organisation has and will stand for the status quo of the reservation policy, which was in agreement when the state was carved out for the three sister tribes of the state,” AHAM said in its release, adding that those calling for such changes should instead fight against poverty, corruption and other injustices rather than raking up issues that will create a “law and order problem”.
Meanwhile, AHAM said it will launch a campaign of its own to demand that the Meghalaya government operate from Tura for six months every year as, it says, was agreed to when the state was created 50 years ago.
