Centre’s decision on ST quota in Goa assembly is only `jumla’: Congress

PANAJI, (PTI): A day after the Union cabinet approved a bill to provide reservation to the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa assembly, the Congress on Friday claimed it was a mere ”jumla” (slogan), and leaders of the ruling BJP were misleading the tribal population.

The announcement by Union minister Piyush Goyal about the cabinet decision was an attempt to hoodwink the people, as the government could have issued an ordinance instead of waiting for the next session of Parliament to table the bill, alleged Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar. ”This is a `jumla’ of this government. The chief minister had assured that he would take an all-party delegation to Delhi, but he took only his party’s leaders. This is because they wanted to hide the facts and misguide people,” Patkar said at a press conference.

Reservations can be introduced by issuing an ordinance, he said, adding, ”In the last 24 years, the BJP ruled the state for 17 years. Who had stopped them from working in the interest of STs and giving them political reservation?” Goyal was misleading people by assuring that the bill will be tabled in the next session of Parliament, Patkar further alleged.

”The INDIA bloc has got a good response from voters after the BJP’s faulty policies and divide and rule policy were exposed. It is we, the INDIA bloc, who will give the Scheduled Tribes their rights. The BJP will only use delaying tactics,” the state Congress chief added.

Senior Congress leader Ramakant Khalap, St Andre block president Manoj Palkar and Ramkrishna Jalmi were also present at the press conference.

Union minister Goyal said on Thursday that the ‘Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2024,’ will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa, and based on it, the Election Commission will amend the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008, to make way for ST reservation in the 40-member Goa Assembly.

As of now, no seat in the Goa assembly is reserved for the ST community while one seat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes. The ST community has been demanding that four out of the 40 seats be reserved for them. (PTI)