MARGAO
With repeated pleas to consider the long-pending demand for political reservations falling on the Centre’s deaf ears, the Mission Political reservations for the Scheduled Tribes has kicked off its awareness campaign from the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s Sanquelim constituency.
General secretary of the Forum, Rupesh Velip has said that people from Sanquelim have hoped that as assured in the Legislative Assembly, the Chief minister, who also holds the Tribal welfare portfolio, lead an all party delegation to the Centre to meet Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Meghawal and Home Minister Amit Shah, to give political reservations before 2024 Lok Sabha elections .
He said members present at the meetings in Sanquelim constituency have vowed to support the mission to get reservation in Assembly for ST before 2024 LokSabha Election.
Speakers pointed out that the Scheduled Area Notification has not yet been issued, that the Tribes Advisory Council is not functioning, there are more than 10,000 Forest right individual claims awaiting settlement and that the ST Commission has no powers for want of rules.
Speakers further added that files of loans for house construction/ repair, files of self-employment schemes for business, remain pending in ST Corporation for 1-2 years due to lack of funds, the same is the case of agricultural schemes.
Underlining the need for the two lakh ST community people to unite and fight for their rights, speakers said ST voters pegged around 1.54 lakh with sizeable population in 22 constituencies can make a difference if they remain united.
“All the above demands can be fulfilled if we have elected representatives from our community on reserved seats. Hence political reservation is very much needed. Only elected representatives from reserved seats can raise voice on our demands in assembly, can frame good policies and schemes which will benefit us and thereby help for upliftment of our community. Those now elected on party tickets listen to their party bosses and work for the party and not for the community”, Rupesh added.
President of the Mission Adv Joao Fernandes appealed to people to unitedly fight for the rights and to support Mission political Reservation in order to get reservation in Assembly before 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting was addressed by Rama Kankonkar, Abhijit Gaude, Pario Gaonkar, Harsha Wadkar, Adv John Fernandes, Shrikant Nagvekar, Devanand Gaude, Nilesh Gaude, Ashok Velip, Francisco Colaco and Costantinho Faleiro.
