United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Paul Lyngdoh has slammed the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) for trying to politicize the issue of state reservation policy.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Lyngdoh, who is also cabinet minister, said that the VPP is not only politicizing the issue of state reservation policy but it is inciting communal hate and also trying to bring mayhem into the society.
He also alleged that the VPP is trying to dictate terms despite winning only 4 seats. “But we will not allow them to do that as there are many people who also love the jaidbynriew. Nobody can monopolize this love for the jaidbynriew” he said.
Lyngdoh also terming the VPP’s protest as political manoeuvring. “You should not be surprised when political parties indulge in political manoeuvring but there should be a line. We have to define that line. We cannot go on eternally blackmailing people emotionally,” he said
“Secondly, people have just elected their legislators. Now what is the need to again call them to come out from their workplaces to demonstrate in front of the secretariat? When you elect a legislator, it is his duty to represent your voice so that you can carry out your daily work,” he said.
When asked, Lyngdoh said “I am not saying that it (state reservation policy) is not necessary. All I am saying is that you need to have priorities. It is not the most important issue facing us (as an indigenous community). We have mentioned it in the party’s manifesto.”
He said the MDA government has constituted an expert committee to review the reservation policy. He said, “The all-party meet is a continuing process and we will come up with the best of solutions but that is when you talk of reservation in isolation.”
“But when you look at it from a wider perspective, unemployment is a major issue in Meghalaya and it is not just unemployment, there is also an issue of unemployability (as) we have many jobs where we are not fit to be employed,” Lyngdoh added.
He said one should ask why in the UPSC exams, Mizoram is getting 4 while Meghalaya only 1 and that too a person from other community while asserting “Whether we have to produce people who will climb at the top of the hierarchy of administration or we have to produce only peons. It depends on you.”
The UDP leader said that reviewing the state reservation policy will not help addressing the unemployment problem in the state.
“It will never. There are 500 vacancies available with the government and government undertakings in a year and this is a dwindling sector in terms of employment.”
He also pointed out that two years before the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, the state of Meghalaya should be talking more about sectors like tourism, weaving, village tourism, government aided projects and lots of other opportunities.
Lyngdoh said the real issues confronting the society are drug addiction, single mother families, child malnourishment, infant mortality rate, and landlessness.
“These are the issues that concern us but why they don’t draw a crowd because they do not have that element of instigating hate and that they are not populists and hence they are not popular as issues,” he added.
Also, Lyngdoh urged the VPP to engage some constitutional lawyer to help them in interpreting the Constitution while demanding reviewing of the reservation policy.
“We have our stand and apparently they (VPP) have not fully read the constitution of India. Fundamental rights, fundamental duties, the concept of discriminatory reservation and why the state should play the role of bringing in a balance – all these are part of Article 14, 15 and 16 upto Article 30 of the Constitution of India. I guess they need to engage some constitutional lawyer to help them in interpreting the Constitution,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh also reiterated that the issue of reservation policy should not be a “drama competition” amongst the political parties in the state.
“This is not a drama competition to show who is a hero and who is a valiant. It does not work like that as this is about administration, governance, policy making and thought leadership. Let us be guided by that and not by our emotions. Otherwise how many times will we review a policy based on our emotions,” he said.