ST reservation: BJP says will take up matter with Shah

Margao: Scheduled Tribes (ST) representatives on Wednesday urged state BJP president Damodar Naik to press Centre for the early implementation of political reservation for STs in the Goa legislative assembly, more than six months after the enabling law received presidential assent.

A delegation comprising tribal welfare minister Ramesh Tawadkar, MLAs Govind Gaude, Ganesh Gaonkar and Anton Vaz, and former minister Prakash Velip met Naik in Margao, seeking intervention to expedite the central govt notification required to bring the law into force.

Assuring the delegation of BJP’s support, Naik said the party’s stand on the issue was unequivocal. “BJP’s stand is clear — STs should get political reservation,” he said.

Naik added that the BJP core committee had recently passed a resolution to send a delegation to meet Union home minister Amit Shah and pursue the demand. “This meeting with Shah will happen soon...this month,” he said.

Tawadkar said the delegation’s meeting with Naik reflected a united stand by the ST community on the issue. “Political reservation for STs is a long-pending demand. The President has already assented to the bill and it has become law. The only step remaining is the central govt notification for its implementation,” he said.