Shillong, Sep 19: Voice of the People Party (VPP) president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Saturday accused the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government of creating “groupism” among bureaucrats, saying the state stands to lose.
“Any party which runs the government should not create groupism among the officers. The honest officers don’t get a chance and this will be a loss for Meghalaya,” he said.
Basaiawmoit alleged the government appoints officers who can easily be directed and willingly follow orders while capable officers who don’t bow to diktats are sidelined with one or two departments.
He cited Dr Vijay Kumar D, who holds 15-16 departments, questioning how one officer can efficiently handle so many portfolios. “Such things demoralise deserving officers,” he said.
The Nongkrem MLA said many officers want to contribute to the state’s development but are denied opportunities. “This is a failure on the part of this government. People will judge its performance,” he said.
Taking a dig at the government’s move to withdraw its controversial August 12 notification allowing vacancies under State Pay Scale to be filled through the Structured Pay Framework (SPF), Basaiawmoit said, “The withdrawal shows the government has admitted its mistake.”
He thanked teachers’ bodies for pressuring the government, adding that the party was glad the mistake pointed out by the VPP was corrected.
Basaiawmoit alleged the government uses certain groups, like teachers who supported SPF, to cover up poor performance and create confusion when VPP criticises its policies.
“But people are not fooled anymore in this age of social media,” he said.
He also flagged instability in the Education department, claiming some notifications were changed twice a week, and reiterated the party’s demand for removal of Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri.
“When we speak up, it’s not just because we are a political party, we do it because we have responsibilities as leaders,” he added.
