PORVORIM: The Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Tuesday demanded reservation for Naik Bhandari Samaj within Other Backward Classes and stated that if the BJP government fails to implement it then the GFP will, after forming a new government.
Speaking to reporters at the Goa Assembly Complex, here, GFP President and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai said that quota within quota concept is possible and they have legal opinion backing it.
“Reservation is an affirmative action, and injustice should never be allowed to happen,” he said. GFP MLAs Vinod Palyekar and Jayesh Salgaonkar were also present.
“We had demanded a discussion over this issue, which was rejected by the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant,” he added.
He pointed out that within the OBC, which comprises of 18 castes, Naik Bhandari Samaj constitutes around 61 per cent. So when the 27 per cent reservation for OBC is divided among all, even though the majority is Naik Bhandari Samaj, they are not getting adequate representation or benefits.
Stating that the political will is lacking, he said, “We will implement this quota once we form the government as we know how important it is to the Bhandari Samaj. They are deprived of promotions in government jobs and also missing out on reservation.”
To a question, Sardesai said that he is hopeful that the BJP will consider the demand of Naik Bhandari Samaj since it calls itself “Hindutva party”.
Sardesai recalled that the Modi government has brought the 127th Amendment to the Constitution, which gives individual States the right to make their own list of OBCs.
“If the government fails to respond, then the Bhandari Samaj will know what they have to do,” he said.
Earlier, to a starred question tabled by GFP MLAs in the Legislative Assembly regarding Bhandari Samaj population in the State, Social Welfare Minister Milind Naik said that as per the survey of OBC community conducted in 2014 by the Goa State Commission for Backward Classes, the population of OBC was 3,58,517 was which was 27 per cent of the total population.
The Minister also informed that there is no specific reservation in OBC category and also there is no reservation in promotion as per the government guidelines.
