Shillong: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has decided to hold a sit-in protest at the parking lot near Additional Secretariat in Shillong, Meghalaya on May 17, demanding that all recruitment processes in the state be put on hold pending a review of the reservation policy.
The VPP president and Nongkrem MLA, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, said that the party will go ahead with the protest despite the Meghalaya government’s decision to hold an all-party meeting on May 19 to discuss the issue.”
We will still hold the sit-in because according to the letter submitted to the government earlier, our stand today was to put on hold recruitment processes, pending the review on the reservation policy,” Basaiawmoit said.
The VPP leader said that the government’s decision to hold an all-party meeting is a “welcome step”, but it is not enough.
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“We want the government to first put on hold all recruitment processes and then hold the meeting,” Basaiawmoit said.
The VPP’s demand comes after the Meghalaya government announced that it will be filling up over 1,000 vacancies in various departments in the state.
The government’s decision has been met with protests from various quarters, including the VPP, who have alleged that the government is trying to fill up the vacancies without considering the reservation policy.
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The Meghalaya government has defended its decision, saying that it is committed to filling up the vacancies in a time-bound manner.
The government has also said that it will take into account the reservation policy while filling up the vacancies.
The VPP’s sit-in protest is likely to put pressure on the Meghalaya government to reconsider its decision to fill up the vacancies without considering the reservation policy.