Meghalaya CM explains importance of roster system, gives detailed presentation

The Meghalaya government has called for an MDA meeting with all coalition partners in which Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has presented a detailed presentation on the implementation of the Roster system in the state. 

The meeting was attended by almost all members of the MDA-II government. The alliance partners are NPP, BJP, UDP and HSPDP.

"Same presentation given yesterday to the Cabinet was also given to the MLAs of the MDA today. The entire concept of the roster system is complicated in nature so they had lots of queries we tried to clarify as much as possible and to a large extent, they have been able to grasp the points. Tomorrow we will continue the meetings and we will have an all-party meeting and once we have that discussion a press conference will be held," said Sangma. 

Also Read: Meghalaya: UDP chief demands more discussion and deliberation over implementation of roster system

Sangma also took out time to explain what exactly is a roster and why the other political parties claiming that not touching reservations when talking about a roster is not going to make any sense is not correct at all.

Sangma expressed his views, asserting that discussing the roster system without addressing the reservation policy would be inadequate. He explained that reservation and roster are distinct subjects, and without an effective roster, reservation loses its purpose.

"Its incorrect reservation is a different subject and reservation without a roster is meaningless," mentioned Sangma.

He explained that the roster system allows the implementation of reservation policy in letter and spirit and allows the exact schedule of the post to be appointed.

"That’s what the roster is and hence a reservation policy without a roster will not implement the reservation policy in true letter and spirit," emphasised Sangma.

The Chief Minister clarified the significance of the roster system, describing it as a mechanism to implement the reservation policy effectively. When questioned about demands from KHNAM and the Voice of the People Party (VPP) to review the reservation policy based on population, Sangma stated that the broader discussion on the reservation policy would not take place during the ongoing meetings.

"These three days have been specifically allocated for the roster system to comply with the court order and ensure the implementation of the reservation policy formulated in 1972," Sangma emphasized.

During the meeting, Sangma provided a presentation, and the MLAs and leaders of the MDA partners shared their opinions and suggestions, which were duly noted. Sangma mentioned that a decision had already been made regarding the roster system and further explained that the government was reaching out to all stakeholders and MLAs to clarify the system being followed.

When asked about the unanimous support of the MDA partners for the cabinet's decision on the roster system, Sangma replied, "They have understood and appreciated the different points we have made, but they still have several doubts. It is a complicated matter, and there will be many scenarios and complications that arise. They have requested time to absorb the information and have promised to discuss it further."

Sangma reiterated that all actions were based on the roster and reservation policy, stating, "We are very clear on that. It is a simple formula that has been followed."

He emphasized that the roster system is mandated by the Government of India and the Supreme Court, and therefore, Meghalaya should have implemented it from the beginning. The roster system ensures that specific posts meant for certain communities are appropriately allocated.

Explaining further, Sangma described how the roster system designates positions to different categories. For instance, if a reservation roster is implemented, it will assign position 1 to the unreserved category, position 2 to the Khasi-Jaintia category, position 3 to the Garo category, and so on. This system ensures that when interviews or appointments are conducted for multiple positions, each category receives representation.