Parliamentary meeting.
Many Congress MPs have questioned the delay in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) Reservation Bill introduced in the Goa Assembly by the BJP government. Several opposition members of the Lok Sabha, including Congress MP Viriato Fernandes and Trinamool MP Pratima Mandal, also accused the government of not taking meaningful steps for the welfare of people of the ST community.
Participating in the debate on the Scheduled Tribes Reservation Bill in Parliament, MP Fernandes said the true intention of the BJP-led government in bringing the bill was questionable. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill for consideration and passage. As of now, there are no seats reserved for members of the ST community in the Goa Assembly.
“Delay in introducing a bill will not lead to its passage”
The bill, titled the Adjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Goa State Assembly Constituencies Bill, 2024, provides for powers to be given by the Census Commissioner to increase the population of Scheduled Tribes in Goa. The Law Minister said that the bill will provide ST representation in the state assembly.
Fernandez, South Goa Lok Sabha MP, said the UPA government has taken several measures to safeguard the welfare of tribal communities in India. But the current government has delayed introducing the bill. “I hope the government will not delay passing this bill,” he said.
Samajwadi Party leader Chhotalal also said that the bill was introduced after a long delay, which showed that the government had “no concern” for people belonging to the scheduled tribes. After working in the government for more than 10 years, now you miss the ST community. He further said that the government should first conduct a caste census. He also demanded that more communities from other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Delhi be included in the ST category.
Government is expert in talking: TMC MP
TMC MP Pratima Mandal said the government is good at talking but “not taking any action” on caste and SC. He further said: “They will only make false promises. The bill is based on the 2001 census, which is now outdated. “Reliance on old data will only undermine the objective of proper representation of Scheduled Tribes. “
Mandal questioned the government, “Why did the government wait until 2024 to bring this bill?” He also claimed that if this bill is implemented, the ST community will have to wait until the next election.
DMK MP DM Kathir Anand expressed disappointment over the bill and said the government did not use discretion in drafting the bill. The government should use new census data instead of old data. For this purpose, the census should be conducted on time. Regarding the census, he said, “The government should immediately start taking action and allocate adequate funds for the census on behalf of Prime Minister Modi and the Finance Minister.”
However, KD Patel of the Bharatiya Janata Party supported the bill and said it was the Modi government that took many measures for the welfare and development of the ST community. He said the government has opened more than a thousand Eklavya model residential schools across the country for tribals, adding that during the UPA era, the government did nothing for them.
TDP MP G Lakshminarayan Valmiki, while supporting the bill, said it is a much needed law. NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule while supporting the bill also raised some issues. But it also raises some questions. Raju Bista, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Darjeeling, asked the government to ensure that there is no further delay in providing relief to the residents of Bhujel, Gurung, Newar, Magar, Reservation of Jogi and some other sub-tribes.
What are the current arrangements in the Goa Assembly?
According to the bill, the population of Scheduled Tribes in Goa has increased significantly in the 2011 census compared to the 2001 census data. In this context, a “strange situation” has arisen in the state where the population of Scheduled Tribes is much higher than that of Scheduled Castes.
According to Goa’s 2011 primary census summary, the total population of Goa is 14,58,545, of which 25,449 are scheduled castes and 1,49,275 are scheduled tribes. In this case, the Election Commission has no power to fix the number of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in any state before the next census. The bill would authorize the census commissioner to notify the population of scheduled tribes.
Under the bill, the Election Commission will be able to amend the Parliamentary and Assembly Constituency Delimitation Order, 2008, paving the way for reservation for STs in the 40-member Goa Assembly. The Election Commission will consider the revised population figures of Scheduled Tribes. If the bill becomes law, the commission will be able to realign parliamentary districts. Currently, not a single seat is reserved for Scheduled Castes in the 40-member Goa Assembly, while one seat is reserved for Scheduled Castes.
