Meghalaya: VPP targets government on ‘weight-and-length‘ excuse for reservation policy delay

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The Voice of the People's Party (VPP) on Friday launched a sharp attack on the NPP-led Meghalaya government over the prolonged delay in releasing the expert committee report on the state reservation policy, alleging that the government now appears to judge the quality and effectiveness of a policy by the length and physical weight of the document rather than by urgency, accountability or public interest. The opposition's criticism comes amid official claims that the report runs into thousands of pages and weighs hundreds of kilograms, with its sheer bulk being cited as a justification for the delay.

Reacting to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma's explanation, VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said, "It is very strange to hear from the Chief Minister that the reason for the delay in announcing the expert committee report on the state reservation policy is because the report is too lengthy and too heavy. This is the first time we have come across such an excuse. Perhaps the NPP-led government determines the quality and effectiveness of a policy by the length and weight of the policy document." He added, "Anyway, the party hopes this will not turn out to be an empty promise to the people and that the government will soon come out with the report without further delay."

The expert committee on the state reservation policy, headed by retired Justice M.C. Garg, submitted its report to the Meghalaya government in June this year. Constituted in 2023, the committee was mandated to review the existing reservation framework, an issue that has remained politically sensitive and socially significant across the state.

Earlier, the Meghalaya government said it was compelled to deploy a special vehicle to transport the report, citing its massive physical size, which made air travel impractical. Addressing the delay, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said, "We had to send a special vehicle to get the report back because we could not bring it on a flight as the report is so big."

He further said, "The expert committee report on the reservation policy will be made public, but it is huge. It weighs around 200 kg and runs into about 4,000 to 5,000 pages, and one has to go through each and every single word because even a comma can change the meaning of the report or that particular line."

Also Read: VPP Threatens Agitation: Demand for Reservation Report Release