The Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) remains unconvinced by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s reassurances about the roster system, calling his statements ambiguous and confusing.
KHNAM leader Thomas Passah said that the government’s plan to implement the roster prospectively based on data from 1972 (when the reservation policy was put in place) is an attempt to complicate the issue and mislead the polity.
The stand of KHNAM is that the data from 1972 up to 2022 is incomplete because the government departments do not show the category-wise break-up of the recommended or appointed candidates.
KHNAM opposes retrospective implementation of the roster system and feels that the CM’s claim that it is neither retrospective nor prospective but a continuous process is eyewash.
According to Passah, it goes without saying that a roster which is a continuous process from 1972 onwards is retrospective while a roster which is a continuous process from May 2022 onwards is prospective in nature.
He said that the CM’s statement that “the advertisements will start from a particular serial number wherever data are available from 1972 but will start from number one wherever data are not available” is highly objectionable.
“As a result of this, the government departments that prepare the roster registers cannot get the vital data and details as to the numbers and the names of the recommended candidates appointed under UR/open category or Khasi-Jaintia quota or Garo quota or Other ST quota. In such a scenario, we urge the government to ensure that the advertising and filling up of posts and vacancies start from number one in respect of all types of posts,” he said.
Passah further asked the government to implement the roster system prospectively as decided in the all-party meeting by just notifying May 10, 2022 as the cut-off date for the implementation.
