Opposition Voice of People’s Party (VPP) president and MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit has demanded a 7 per cent increase in the reservation quota for the Khasi community while retaining 40 per cent for the Garos.
The VPP has been seeking a review of the reservation policy, asserting that it was unfair to the Khasi tribe (including sub-tribes Jaintias, Wars, Bhois and Lyngngams), the population of which has outnumbered that of the Garos over the years. Since 1972, 40 per cent of the State government jobs have been reserved for the Garo and Khasi communities each. Another five per cent is reserved for other tribes residing in the State, while the remaining 15 per cent is for the general category. Raising the issue in a short-duration discussion on the reservation policy in the State Assembly on Wednesday, Basaiawmoit claimed many were surprised by the expert committee’s recommendation to retain the 1972 policy without substantial revision and argued that the high court had questioned only the absence of a roster system rather than the policy itself.
Referring to Clause 4 of Article 16 of the Constitution, the Voice of the People’s Party (VPP) leader said the original framework aimed at addressing inadequate representation of Khasi and Garo communities while maintaining administrative efficiency. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in his response, cautioned against proposed changes that could invite judicial scrutiny. Sangma said that tweaking the state’s reservation policy – 85 per cent for Scheduled Tribes – could lead to judicial scrutiny in view of the Supreme Court order that bars caste and community-based reservation exceeding 50 per cent. The Chief Minister referred to the report of the Expert Committee on Reservation Policy that warned against any substantial modification of the policy. (EOM)
