http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Government+anti-dalit,+anti-tribal:+Opposition&artid=ZzPSKCQdclQ=&SectionID=mvKkT3vj5ZA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=nUFeEOBkuKw=&SEO=
By Express News Service 17 Dec 2009 04:42:00 AM IST Government anti-dalit, anti-tribal: Opposition BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition today brought fresh charges against the State Government, accusing it of ignoring the interests of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by not ratifying the Constitution (109th Amendment) Bill, 2009 which proposed to extend reservation for them in the State legislatures and Parliament for another 10 years. This has exposed the anti-dalit and anti-tribal face of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh told mediapersons here today. The deadline for the ratification is January 24, Singh said, adding that the provision of reservation will cease to have effect unless ratified by then. Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan said 51 per cent of the State assemblies need to ratify the bill before the deadline for it to come into force. As a state with more than 40 per cent SC and ST population, Orissa should have been the leading state to ratify the bill, he said. This was raised twice in the business advisory committee (BAC) of the Assembly during the last session, Prasad said, adding that the Assembly was adjourned abruptly 11 days before it despite having this serious business before it. The Lok Sabha Secretariat had informed the Assembly about this constitutional necessity on August 20 and the Assembly in turn had written to the State Government on September 23. However, the State Government slept over the matter, he said. Prasad alleged that lapse of such a serious nature has made the anti-dalit and anti-tribal nature of the State Government clear. He alleged that during the last nine years 21 tribals have died in police firing at various places. Besides, the chairman of Scheduled Caste Commission Buta Singh had also exposed the anti-dalit nature of the government openly, he said. As the State Cabinet recommended the Assembly to be prorogued, the House cannot be reconvened by it during the 2009 calendar year. There will also be no time left before the government to reconvene the House and ratify the bill in January as more than one month will be required for the entire process, he said. Karendra Majhi (BJP) alleged that the Government had betrayed the SC/ST people by not ratifying the bill. An adjournment motion notice was discussed in the Assembly run by the Opposition today and admitted.
