SHILLONG : National People’s Party (NPP) vice president and Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar on Friday criticised the Voice of the People Party for skipping the all-party meeting held to discuss the state reservation policy report.
Speaking to reporters, Dhar said it was “unfortunate” that the VPP failed to attend the meeting despite repeatedly demanding that the government convene an all-party discussion on the issue.
“The Chief Minister has called an all-party meeting which had been especially requested by the VPP, and we have done it. All political parties attended, but only the VPP was absent,” Dhar said.
He further stated that the absence of the VPP showed that the party was “not serious” about the reservation policy issue.
When asked whether the VPP was “playing politics” over the matter, Dhar replied that it appeared the party was doing exactly that.
“It seems they are just playing politics on this issue,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister also backed the statement made earlier by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma regarding the controversy surrounding the meeting.
The all-party meeting was convened by the Meghalaya government to discuss the report related to the state’s reservation policy.