PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday told a huge rally of Goa's Scheduled Tribes community at the GEC grounds in Farmagudi that his government "will try" to ensure political reservations for them before the 2027 assembly elections.
The rally was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the community's umbrella organisation -- United Tribal Association (UTAA).
In his address to the massive tribal gathering, Sawant said "As long as the sun and the moon exist, the Constitution cannot be undermined. The State will be run by the Constitution. Whatever is assured to the tribal community, all the rights will be given."
Referring to the charter of demands earlier presented to him Sawant said, as far as the forest rights is concerned, the settlement of rights is already in process.
On the demand for a Tribal Bhavan, Sawant said work had got stalled due to some administrative issues.
"However the Tribal Bhavan will be built by 2027," Sawant said in his speech even as he recalled that Goa's tribes got the status of Scheduled Tribes during the tenure of the BJP at the Centre after over 40 years of struggle since the liberation of Goa.
Sawant also said, that several other issues that the tribal community was agitating for had been resolved by the BJP governments in the State and at the Centre.
Meanwhile, South Goa MP, Viriato Fernandes, said he will raise the demand of the ST community for political reservations in the Lok Sabha.
"The tribal community in the State has been struggling for many years to get political reservation in the assembly elections. I will raise my voice for it in Parliament," Fernandes who also attended the UTAA even said.
