Shillong: Expert Committee on the Roster System, chaired by Ampareen Lyngdoh, convened on May 31 to discuss the State Reservation Policy (SRP) and initiate a dialogue among political parties in Meghalaya.
However, during the meeting, none of the political parties provided sufficient justification for their proposed changes to the SRP.
Following the committee’s meeting, Chairperson Ampareen Lyngdoh addressed the media, explaining that their role is to facilitate a debate among political parties regarding the state reservation policy.
The committee’s objective is to suggest the government consider the discussions held, and it recognizes the need for a more specialized committee to address this issue.
“We are only mandated to open a debate among political parties on the state reservation policy, that is our mandate. We have initiated the dialogue, but these minute details are still pending, as all political parties presented their views verbally without sufficient justification. They now have to provide written legal justifications for any proposed omissions or additions to the policy,” stated Lyngdoh.
She further emphasized that political parties must provide a written rationale for their stance on the matter.
If a party seeks to delete or add certain elements to the policy, they must provide the legal grounds and specific details in writing. Lyngdoh highlighted the importance of written justifications to help the committee accurately summarize the discussions and present them to the government.
During the meeting, some political parties expressed their preference for maintaining the status quo on the reservation policy. However, they were unable to substantiate why they believed this was necessary.
In light of the verbal presentations received, the committee will not proceed with forwarding its deliberations to the government until political parties submit written legal justifications, providing hard copies of their proposed changes, omissions, or additions to the policy.
Lyngdoh concluded by emphasizing the need for a specialized committee consisting of experts from various fields such as constitutional law, economics, statistics, and legal backgrounds to delve deeper into the matter and facilitate informed discussions on the State Reservation Policy.