The All Khasi Hills Achik Federation (AKHAF) has accused the Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief and Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit of creating communal tension and hatred for seeking a review of the state reservation policy and new roster system.
The VPP has come out against the reservation policy, saying it lacks a “rational and justifiable basis”, and the roster system, which entrenches the existing quota system without reviewing it first. The existing reservation policy sets aside 40 percent of state government jobs for the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities each, despite the former outnumbering the latter. The roster system is meant to more effectively implement the reservation policy.
“The act of the president (VPP) in attempting to abrogate the system is quite condemnable for he is challenging the rule passed by the High Court of Meghalaya,” AKHAF president Clivestar Marak said in a statement today. “Contemplating the law is not only illegal but also an attempt to create communal tensions and hatred among the brethren of Meghalaya by discriminating against the reservation policy solely passed by the court.”
Stating that the Garo community lining in the Khasi Hills comprises of 5-8 percent of the population, which also include other tribes like the Hajong and Banai, Marak said, “Neglecting our rights is highly condemnable and it must be reserved as it is and any attempt to dilute or manipulate shall not be tolerated.”
Furthermore, the AKHAF reacted to the Khasi Author Society’s comment over the inclusion of the Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
“We the Garo as a whole tribe have access to all the necessary linguistic documentation and other requisites for the language to be recognised officially and to be included under the provision of Eighth Schedule,” Marak said. He added that both the communities are holistically struggling to include their respective languages under the provision and the statement about “exclusion” of Garo language is sad and betrayal to the community.
Meanwhile, The Confederation of Ri Bhoi People (CoRP) has expressed its support for the VPP.
CoRP’s working president, Pateng Myrsing, said that his organisation also strongly opposes the implementation of the roster system. Myrsing said that if it is executed there will be disparity in employment opportunities between the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities.
He also called for a revamp of the reservation policy and roster system to ensure equal treatment and opportunities for all communities in the state and criticised pressure groups from Garo Hills for opposing the issue.
On the other hand, ACHIK, the A’chik Conscious Holistically Integrated Krima, said that it is important for the state’s MLAs to acknowledge the historical context and significance of the reservation policy, “which was put in place to address the systemic discrimination and marginalisation faced by certain communities.”
The policy has been in effect for decades and has been upheld by successive governments but, if there are issues with its implementation, “then it is the responsibility of the MLAs to address them and ensure that they are rectified,” ACHIK said in a release.
