PANJIM: Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro made a special demand for representation (Reservation) of Scheduled Tribes (ST) Communities ie Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Making a Zero Hour mention in the Upper House, Faleiro said that Goa comprises 10.23per cent of Scheduled Tribes (ST) population consisting of Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips. Even after 60 years of Goa’s liberations these members have been unable to find full and proper representation in the Goa Legislative Assembly. The Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips were notified under the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) Amendment Act 2002 on January 8, 2003. Yet 19 years passed and they have been kept out of Goa Assembly. This is a clear violation of Article 332 and Article 330 of Constitution.
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“I remember in 1980 when I was privileged to lead the movement of Goa Scheduled Tribes as president of Gawda Vikas Mandal. Even though I don’t belong to this community we fought for the reservation to these communities in professional colleges and in employment. Today they have reservation in Village Panchayats, Zilla Panchayats and Municipalities except in the Goa Assembly. This empowered these communities to live a more dignified lives par with other citizens of Goa.
However, this progress has been left incomplete as these communities were not provided due representation in the Goa Assembly, he said.
, Faleiro said it is very sad that Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips and oppressed, suppressed and exploited socially, economically and politically even after 60 years of liberation of Goa .
“I urge Government of India to end this hostile discrimination and provide proportional and equitable representation to these communities in the Goa Assembly as per mandate of the Constitution,” said Faleiro.
