Bahujan samaj joins Maratha community to oppose ST reservation

Margao/Canacona: The opposition to state govt’s proposed political reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) widened on Sunday, with the Bahujan Samaj joining the Maratha community, in demanding that any such exercise be deferred until the ongoing national census and delimitation process are completed.

The development comes days after the Akhil Gomantak Kshatriya Maratha Samaj (AGKMS), which claims to represent over 20% of Goa’s population, submitted a memorandum to state BJP president Damodar Naik and chief minister Pramod Sawant opposing the reservation plan. The AGKMS had raised objections to its perceived regional imbalance, with three of the four constituencies under consideration — Canacona, Quepem and Sanguem — located in South Goa and only one, Priol, in the north.

A public meeting of various Bahujan Samaj organisations rallying under the banner of People’s Front Against Imposed Political Reservation, held in Canacona, passed a unanimous resolution rejecting the implementation of political reservation based on 2011 census figures. The meeting brought together representatives of the Bhandari, Rajak, Saraswat, Dhangar, Daivajna, Pagi, and Komarpant communities, among others.

The resolution demanded that political reservation for STs be kept in abeyance until the census and delimitation exercise are complete, the delimitation act be followed before any reservation is notified, and that an all-community, all-party committee be constituted to review the selection of reserved constituencies. The Front also demanded equitable district-wise distribution of reserved seats as mandated under the delimitation act, and a rotation system for both SC and ST reserved seats.

The meeting warned govt and the ruling BJP that if the administration proceeded with what it termed “illegal political reservation” despite public opposition, the 88% non-ST voter base would not hesitate to express its displeasure at the ballot box.