Demands Census-based delimitation before political reservation rollout
MARGAO
In a significant development in respect of the political reservations for the ST communities, the All Goa Gomantak Kshatriya Maratha Samaj has urged the Goa government to keep on hold and defer notification of Scheduled Tribes reserved constituencies until the completion and notification of the Census.
In a representation addressed to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and BJP State president Damu Naik, the Samaj said that political reservation can be implemented after compilation of the census and caste wise data and delimitation of constituencies.
The Samaj has demanded constituting an all-party and all-community committee to review distribution of reserved seats. It has also demanded equitable district-wise allocation and limit reservation to four seats as per population ratio.
While demanding publication of the legal opinion and material relied upon for political reservations for the ST community, the Samaj said it will be more appropriate to implement a rotation system in the reservation of constituencies including SC reserved constituency as it is implemented in local self-governing bodies. The Samaj said it is injustice to general category constituents to be permanently in the reserved constituency.
“If the BJP wants to satisfy the ST community and fulfil their demand in the coming assembly elections, it can allocate four seats to ST community candidates,” Samaj president Suhas Desai stated.
Clarifying that the Maratha community is not against reservation and neither they are against ST community, Desai, however, said the community believes there should be fair justice to every community. “We had seen that Pernem constituency is kept reserved for SC community for last 40 years. Pernem is also Maratha dominated constituency. We as Maratha strongly object to this unwanted and illicit reservation policy proposed by the State government and supported by the ruling party,” he added.
Demanding justice, constitutional balance, and democratic fairness, the Samaj has hoped the government and the BJP will consider its rightful demands or else Maratha community along with other general category will be forced to think otherwise.
Keep reservation in abeyance till completion of Census
As per expert opinion, any delimitation or reservation of constituencies must be based on the latest authenticated Census data under the Delimitation Act. The government is proposing political reservation based on the 2011 Census which is against the Constitution norms.
The government has already started the population Census process. Hence, why is the hurry in implementation of political reservation in Goa. Implementing ST reservation on outdated/ provisional data will cause grave injustice to all the constituents of Goa. Hence, we demand implementation shall be kept in abeyance until the Census and delimitation.
Equitable distribution of reserved seats
Disproportionate concentration of reserved seats violates Article 14 of the Constitution. Nearly 75 per cent of proposed reserved seats falling in the Kushavati District region alone, with three out of four proposed ST reserved constituencies Canacona, Quepem and Sanguem fall in Kushavati District. Only Priol constituency which was proposed as ST reserved constituency falls in North Goa District. There are many ST dominated constituencies in South Goa District. Nuvem constituency in South Goa District is dominated by more than 35 per cent ST population. In Fatorda, Curtorim, Cortalim, Velim and Nuvem constituencies there is a sizable ST population.
Despite of all these facts why only Kushavati District is ST reserved, the Samaj questioned.
