Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant has once again accused the Congress party of obstructing efforts to secure Assembly seat reservations for Goa’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) community. Speaking on the ongoing push for ST representation in the state legislature, Sawant said he has been relentlessly pursuing the issue since the beginning of his tenure.
“We are trying for an ST reservation. During my tenure, the resolution was passed, and I have been continuously monitoring its progress. I want to assure my ST brothers and sisters that no one has followed up on this matter as diligently as I have,” the Chief Minister said.
He also recalled a previous attempt when a similar bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha but met with resistance. “The same thing happened the last time too — when the ST Bill was proposed in the Rajya Sabha, Congress opposed it. And this time, they’ve repeated the same thing,” he added.
Sawant alleged that the repeated opposition from Congress exposes their unwillingness to support the cause of Goa’s tribal communities. “I feel Congress doesn’t want to give ST reservations. If by 2027 there is still no ST reservation in Goa, Congress alone will be responsible,” he declared.
The Chief Minister’s remarks come amid political tensions surrounding the introduction of the Readjustment of ST Representation in Goa Assembly Bill, 2024, which was recently stalled in Parliament due to opposition protests.