BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party has set a deadline of August 9 for the Narendra Modi government to act on its demands of bringing an ordinance to restore the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and to remove Justice A.K. Goel as NGT Chairman.
“We will wait till August 9. Honestly, I am expecting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address our concerns but if he fails to do so then our party will decide on the way forward,” Chairman of Parliamentary Board of Lok Janshakti Party Chirag Paswan said.
On July 24, Mr. Paswan wrote to Mr. Modi cautioning the BJP government that protests planned by Dalit groups on August 9 could be severe and far more aggressive than the April 2 protests, if the government does not promulgate an ordinance to restore the SC/ST Act and remove Justice Goel.
Mr. Goel was one of the two judges of the Supreme Court who had ruled against immediate arrest under the SC/ST Act and laid down provisions for anticipatory bail and a preliminary enquiry before registration of a case.
“I spoke to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar and I asked him re-introduce the act in this parliamentary session. He cited some technical reasons on why that can’t be done. And the government can’t issue an ordinance while Parliament is in session. So I suggested that they end the monsoon session on August 7 and bring in an ordinance by August 8 to calm the nerves of Dalits and tribals who are agitating,” he added.
Since the Supreme Court judgement, the LJP has been demanding that the government issue an ordinance to restore the original act. The BJP government though it has been making the right noises it is yet to issue the orders. In the letter Mr Paswan has once again reiterated this demand. His father and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan too has written a similar letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
“This time the protests could get fiercer and sharper. Justice A.K. Goel's judgement in Supreme Court that rendered SC/ST ACT ineffectual. After his retirement he has been appointed as chairman of National Green Tribunal. This has sent out a message to the SC/ST community that our government has rewarded Justice Goel for his judgement,” Mr. Paswan wrote in his letter to Prime Minister.
After Telugu Desam Party and People's Democratic Party walked out of NDA and with Shiv Sena playing hardball, LJP is the only ally who have backed BJP through all the controversies.
