Shillong, Mar 4: The Jaintia Students’ Movement (JSM) has appealed to Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar and cabinet minister Wailadmiki Shylla to jointly raise the issue of securing a separate quota for the Jaintia people under the state reservation policy in the cabinet.
Dhar and Shylla are two of the most prominent MLAs from the Jaintia (or Pnar) community in the government. An expert committee tasked with considering changes to the reservation policy – which applies to government jobs and education places – did not propose any major alterations to the 54-year quota system. Under the current system, the Garo and Khasi-Jaintia communities have a 40 percent quota each.
Putting pressure on Dhar and Shylla, the JSM said that this is an opportunity for the two ministers to demonstrate their commitment and love for the Pnar community. “If these two respected ministers from Ri Jaiñtia sincerely discuss the matter in the cabinet led by their party (the National People’s Party), there is no doubt that Jaiñtia will obtain its rightful share in the reservation policy,” the JSM said.
The group urged the ministers to stand firm like Jaintia freedom fighter Kiang Nangbah and demand the rights of the Pnar people. If the rest of the cabinet does not acquiesce to the demand, the two should take a principled stand and resign, it added.
Meanwhile, the JSM also expressed disappointment that Voice of the People Party (VPP) MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit only referred to Khasis and not Khasi-Jaintias while discussing the reservation policy in the recent Assembly session. He was pulled up for this by Dhar, though the JSM said that he or the other MLAs from the Pnar community should have raised a point of order immediately. Basaiawmoit later explained that referring to Khasis was not exclusive but inclusive of the Pnar community in the wider identity of the Khasi people.
The JSM justified a separate quota for the Pnar saying that members of this community remain underrepresented in government jobs.
