The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has hit out at Education Minister, Rakkam Sangma for terming the indefinite hunger strike by VPP president Ardent M. Basaiawmoit as “drama politics”.
“The minister and his colleagues should take the responsibility for creating this situation where an important public issue has to be taken to the street and putting the health of our president in danger. His statement implies that he ridicules and mocks the struggle of the youth from Khasi-Jaintia region of the state as drama. In fact, had this Government been responsible and fair enough, without waiting for the matter to reach the present situation, it should have taken the responsibility to review the job reservation policy,” VPP spokesman Dr. Batskhem Myrboh said today.
Dr. Myrboh also said that the job reservation policy clearly stated that population is the basis of the quantum of reservation. He also reminded the minister that the phrase “in terms of their population” has been clearly stated in line number 8 of the Resolution dated January 12, 1972.
“The party requests him (Education Minister) to read the policy till it is understood properly before he makes further irresponsible statements on the matter,” Dr. Myrboh added.
On Sangma’s statement that the VPP is playing with fire and the youth of the State would be affected by the likelihood of the job reservation policy being quashed by the Supreme Court if the policy was amended, the VPP spokesperson said the State quota policy has reservation above the 50 per cent limit set by the Supreme Court in 1992.
“The party would like to enlighten the minister that the independent judiciary in India does not decide cases on the basis of noise or the lack of it. Rather cases are decided as per law and facts placed before it. In fact, it is the duty and responsibility of the NPP-led MDA government to defend the State job reservation policy before the court. If it fails to defend, it has to take full responsibility,” Myrboh said.
