PANJIM: Gearing up for the 2017 Assembly polls, the Congress on Saturday demanded reservation for the Schedule Tribe (ST) community in the State Legislative Assembly. Currently, STs enjoy 12 percent reservation in all elected bodies, sectors except in the Assembly.
Addressing the media, Congress leader and former Union Minister Ramakant Khalap said the government needs to pass a law in the coming Budget session for STs to be eligible for reservations in the 2017 polls. “Our legislative wing will take up the matter during the next Assembly session,” he said.
The party has also decided to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) with this demand.
Recently, BJP’s South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar announced that the Central government is considering 12 percent reservation for the ST community in the State Assembly. This is a long-pending demand of the United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA) that is pressing for reservation in the 2017 election.
Congress also announced support to the protest rally called by ‘Goa’s Movement for Special Status’ on the government betrayal to grant Special Status to Goa. The protest will be held on the 4th anniversary of Matanhy Saldanha’s death on March 21.
“We will support all those movements which are in the interest of the people,” the former Law Commissioner said lambasting then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for fooling the people on the issue.
Meanwhile, Congress has decided to hold a tenants’ convention in April-May, informing the community how their interests have been hampered by the BJP-led government. “The purpose of the Goa Agricultural Tenancy (amendment) Act 2014 was to defeat the interest of tenants and sell our Goa in the hands of land sharks and building lobbies,” Khalap said. “Goans are becoming ‘bhaile’ (outsiders) in their own land and all credit goes to the BJP government,” he alleged.
