Tribal body hands over memorandum seeking early passage of stalled Bill to secure Assembly seats for ST communities
A delegation of UTAA called on BJP President Damu Naik and handed over a memorandum on the ST Reservation Bill.
Photo Credits: The Goan
MARGAO
The United Tribal Alliance Association (UTAA) has knocked on the doors of BJP State President Damu Naik with a plea to take up, with the party’s central leadership, the early passage of the Bill for political reservations for the ST community in Goa.
A UTAA delegation on Wednesday called on the BJP State President and handed over a memorandum, seeking his intervention with the party leadership to fulfil what they termed the rightful and long-pending demand of the Scheduled Tribes for reservation of seats in the Goa Legislative Assembly in the 2027 Assembly election.
In the memorandum, the delegation recalled that the then BJP Government, both State and Central, in 2003 granted tribal status to Gawada, Kunbi, and Velip — the three communities from Goa. They, however, pointed out that these communities did not receive the constitutional right of political reservations in Goa in subsequent general elections.
They drew the BJP leader’s attention to the fact that the Bill for Political Reservations for STs was introduced in Parliament in August 2024, followed by discussions in November 2024. “In fact, the same Bill was supposed to be passed then, but that has not happened to date. All the State and Central leaders assured us it would be passed during the Budget Session,” the memorandum stated.
It added: “Now, even the Budget Session could not happen. Therefore, we, UTAA — an apex organisation of all tribals of Goa — request you to take up this issue with the Central leadership and fulfil our rightful and long-pending demand so that reservation in the 2027 Assembly will be ensured.”
Meanwhile, Damu Naik told the media that he had assured the delegation he would place their demand before Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for redressal.
