Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, faced criticism from the ST communities and political parties. He has now withdrawn his controversial statement and issued an apology. Initially, he stated that the implementation of reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Goa Legislative Assembly was not viable as the ST population was relatively small in the State.
This particular Minister is well-known for making senseless statements without careful consideration and often creates controversies to gain attention in our country. Wasn’t this same leader seen chanting and encouraging others around him to say “Go Corona, Go” in a widely circulated viral video at the beginning of the pandemic? He behaved in a manner that was unbecoming of his position.
This happened during a press conference in Panaji, even though the Pramod Sawant-led government had previously promised political reservation for this community in the State Legislative Assembly by 2027, as he personally stated in March of this year.
