MARGAO
Urging the Election Commission of India to notify political reservations for the Scheduled Tribes of Goa, the Mission Political Reservation for Scheduled Tribes of Goa has threatened to launch a non-cooperation movement, threatening to resign from their titles, boycotting the courts and government services and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and threatened to not pay taxes if the demand is not met as early as possible.
The organisation has also urged the State and Central government to constitute the Delimitation Commission in Goa to carry out exercise of delimitation based on 2011 census in order to grant political reservation to Scheduled Tribes of Goa in the House of the people and Legislative Assembly of the State to ensure proportionate representation with immediate effect.
Addressing the media after a meeting in the city here on Friday, Association president Adv John Fernandes said Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution of India provides for reservation of seats for the Scheduled Tribes in the House of the people and Legislative Assembly of the State respectively.
He said in the year 2003, three communities, namely Gawda, Kunbi and Velip were added in the list of Scheduled Tribes Goa. He, however, lamented that even after 19 years, the ST communities had been deprived of political reservation in the House of the people and the State Legislative Assembly.
He attributed the position to the lack of political will to give political reservation to the Scheduled Tribes of Goa and to constitute the Delimitation Commission in Goa. There’s wrong interpretation of lay by the political leaders and Court of law, he added.
John said the government and the Court is not trying to understand that the ST communities are not asking for fresh adjustment of constituencies. “The Scheduled Tribes of Goa are demanding political reservations for the first time after the three communities of Gawda, Kunbi and Velip were added in the category of Scheduled Tribes in the year 2003,” he asserted.
He said the government authorities have failed to understand that the ST community has been asking for political reservations for the first time and not for readjustment of constituencies.
Former Rachol Sarpanch and ST leader Joseph Vaz blamed successive governments for meting out injustice to the STs by denying them the political reservations in the State Assembly and Lok Sabha.
“We the ST community will all unite, irrespective of religion and force the government to provide political reservations to the STs in the State,” Vaz warned.
