PANAJI
Disheartened and unsatisfied with the proposed Scheduled Tribe (ST) political reservation bill, the associations of STs under the banner of ‘Mission Political Reservation for STs in Goa’ on Sunday resolved to cause electoral damage to the ruling BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, due in April/May. The community has got around 1.80 lakh eligible voters.
The ST leaders, who were on a chain hunger strike since Wednesday, withdrew the same resolving to hold panchayat level corner meetings across 300 plus ST villages to highlight how the community is cheated and denied from granting constitutional rights by the State and Central government.
The Mission has been demanding that Centre should issue a final notification to reserve four Assembly constituencies in Goa -- Sanguem, Priol, Quepem and Nuvem for the ST community candidate, before the Parliamentary polls election code of conduct comes into force.
“It is resolved that, if the current central government fails to issue notification to reserve four seats for STs in Goa Assembly before the code of conduct, we shall try multiple strategies to create electoral damage to the ruling BJP government for both North and South Goa seats in the upcoming polls,” the STs resolved during a meeting held at Azad Maidan.
“It is also resolved that tribal leaders will visit the 300 plus ST villages and convene meetings on how the community has been cheated by the State and Central government,” they said.
Addressing a press conference, ST leader Rupesh Velip said that the Mission has already rejected the Union Cabinet’s decision to approve the ‘Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes Bill 2024’ stating that it is a lengthy process.
He pointed out that Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had assured to notify the Delimitation Commission before the code of conduct, however, the same was not done.
“This is just a draft bill…just a piece of paper that has no weightage… it has to be passed by both Houses of Parliament, Assented by the President ... .Census Commissioner has to notify the Census data…so on,” Velip said.
