Team Herald
PANJIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant is likely to lead a delegation of tribal leaders to Union Home Minister Amit Shah with their demand for 12 per cent reservation to the Schedule Tribes (ST) in the 40-member Goa State Legislative Assembly.
A delegation led by Minister for Tribal Welfare Govind Gaude and United Tribal Association Alliance (UTTA) leader Prakash Velip, on Wednesday called on chief minister demanding that five seats be reserved for ST in the next 2022 elections.
Addressing media persons post meeting, Gaude said that it is a long pending demand of the tribal community that they should be granted 12 per cent reservation in the State Legislative Assembly. “ST has reservation in panchayat, zilla parishad and municipalities. But there is no reservation in State Assembly,” he said.
Gaude said that Parliament has recently passed a Constitution Amendment Bill to extend the quota of ST and Schedule Caste in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by another 10 years. “State Assembly has also ratified the Bill. So, on that lines, the tribal leaders wants government to give them reservation,” the minister said.
Later speaking, UTTA leader Velip said that since 2003, the community has been demanding for reservation in State Assembly, which has not happened so far.
Velip said that post Abolition of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Central government is considering granting reservation to tribal in State Assembly, in that lines, Goa government should also put up proposal before Centre.
“Chief Minister has assured us to lead an delegation of tribal leaders to Union Home Minister Amit Shah with the demand for 12 per cent reservation in Assembly,” Velip said adding that he is hopeful that in 2022 elections, five seats would be reserved for ST. The delegation also reiterated their long pending demand of ST status to Dhangar community.
