PANAJI
As the opposition continued to disrupt the proceedings of Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the crucial Bill seeking political reservation to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community in the Goa Assembly, failed to come up for introduction and passing.
The chaos erupting in the House over the Opposition’s persistent demand for urgent debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar reflects the growing tensions.
When the session resumed in the afternoon, Speaker Krishna Prasad Tenneti brought to the notice of the House about discussion and passing of 'The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024'.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the bill holds immense importance for Goa and introduction was a crucial step toward ensuring that our tribal communities receive their rightful share and voice in the democratic process.
"It's extremely shameful and condemnable that the Opposition parties – the Indian National Congress and the INDI Alliance have once again revealed their true character by creating a ruckus in the Lok Sabha, obstructing the introduction of a historic and long-awaited bill: The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024," Sawant said.
He said that the Narendra Modi government, by bringing forth this bill, has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering the tribal communities of Goa and upholding constitutional justice.
"The conduct of the Opposition in Parliament today was not just disrespectful – it was a direct insult to the ST communities of Goa," he said.
At present, the Goa Assembly has 40 seats with no reservation to ST. The number of seats to be reserved will be based on the ST population in the State.
Political reservation for STs is a long pending demand of the community, who had, last year, launched State wide protest pressing for their demand.
"It is imperative to enact a law to provide for enabling provisions empowering the Election Commission to make amendments in Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008 and readjust seats in Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa for STs," the Bill stated.
Since, the exercise of delimitation was initiated in 2002, the population of STs in the State of Goa was recorded at that time in the census figures of 2001 as only 566, whereas the total population of the State of Goa was more than 13 lakh, the Bill added.
