PANJIM: The Congress party on Saturday promised to provide political reservation to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities of Goa, along with settling Forest Right Act (FRA) claims after they form government at the Centre.
Speaking to reporters here, All India Cazongress Committee a(AICC) Goa desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had only used the Schedule Tribes community for political gain.
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Thakare said that ST community leaders should get the opportunity to become Chief Minister of Goa. “We are supporting it,” he said. He said that there are capable ST leaders who can become Chief Minister of the State and gave examples of other States were tribal leaders have become chief ministers.
“After we form the government at the Centre and in Goa, we will resolve issues of the ST community. We will see that funds allocated in the budget are used for their welfare,” he said. “Our country has noticed how BJP insulted President Droupadi Murmu by not inviting her for the inauguration of the new parliament building. Even while conferring Bharat Ratna to L K Advaniji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained seated, while the President was standing. Modi failed to respect them both,” Thakare said.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar alleged that BJP failed to give political reservation to ST communities. “BJP has used ST samaj for politics and neglected their issues. For the last two years, they have been agitating to get reservation and we have supported them,” he said.
Patkar promised that Schedule Tribe areas will be notified after Congress forms government.
“We will establish a National Mission for the Forest Right Act. Settlement of all pending FRA claims will be done within one year and rejected claims will be settled within six months,” Patkar said, adding that 9,500 cases are pending in the State.
Congress ST department chairman Ramkrishna Jalmi also said that BJP failed to address their issues and give political reservation to Schedule Tribe. GPCC general secretary and ST leader Joseph Vaz and others were also present.
