MARGAO
Passage of The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024 rung in good news for leaders of the Mission Political Reservations for the Scheduled Tribes, which has been spearheading the agitation for the reservations of Assembly seats for the community.
Mission President Adv. John Fernandes said though the Bill is yet to be passed by the Rajya Sabha, we welcome the development, as it would pave the way for the political reservations for the ST communities. “Political reservations for the scheduled tribes is a right mandated by the Constitution of India. However, political reservations was not given for the ST community despite the fact that the three communities of Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips were given the reservations two decades ago in 2003”, he said.
Outlining the objective behind floating the Mission Political Reservations for the ST communities, John said the issue was somehow relegated to the background for reasons unknown. “We floated the Mission to take the movement forward to secure the rights of the ST population. The Mission was formed in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election to take the movement forward. We succeeded in creating awareness amongst the people of Goa and build pressure on the political class to bring the issue on their agenda”, he said.
