MARGAO
Accusing the BJP leaders for shedding crocodile tears for the Scheduled Tribes, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Monday said the BJP at the Centre should pass the Bill on political reservation for the ST community or issue an ordinance to that effect if the ruling party has any love for the tribals in Goa.The GFP further said the BJP is on a deliberate misinformation campaign on the ST reservation issue since any reservations for the tribal community will displace a BJP MLA and an MLA belonging to the BJP-MGP alliance.“Instead of misguiding the ST community, the BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Ayush Minister Sripad Naik and South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar should convince the Narendra Modi government at the Centre to pass the Bill on reservations for the ST in the current Parliament session,” demanded GFP chief spokesman Prashank Naik and party ST convenor Tito Cardozo.Reacting to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar s statement that he would lead a delegation to Delhi to demand reservation of seats for the ST community in the upcoming Assembly poll, Prashant termed the assurance as a pure eyewash as detailed analysis of the issue will show. “If the BJP is serious about doing justice to the STs, they need not put up a show of conventions and delegation, but can do so at the central government level by just promulgating an ordinance as was done in 2013 by the UPA government, which was in power at the Centre,” he said.He said the BJP leaders have been on a continuous campaign to misinform the ST community though the ball is in the court of Parliament, in which the BJP has a brute majority and not the Election Commission of India or the Reorganisation Commission. “The Readjustment of Representation of SC/ST in Parliament and Assembly Constituencies (Third) Ordinance, 2013 issued by the UPA had lapsed. Before this, the UPA had issued two similar ordinances. Now, it is for the present BJP government to either issue a fresh ordinance or get the law passed in Parliament,” he said.Replying to a question, Prashant said the GFP is committed in giving representation to the ST community in proportion to their population in the ensuing election.
