Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
Muktsar, June 15
The President of India issued an ordinance for the readjustment of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies on June 5.
The President of India issued an ordinance for the readjustment of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies on June 5.
Political bigwigs, including Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Hans Raj Josan, Cabinet Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani, Dr Mohinder Kumar Rinwa, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Vardev Singh Mann and former MP Jagmeet Brar, will have to find other constituencies to represent in the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
The Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat and three Assembly constituencies under this seat are likely to be reserved for the SC community as Rai Sikhs form the majority of the population here.
Gurdip Warwal, former Deputy Ambassador and President of All India Rai Sikhs Samaj Sudhar Sabha, said, “Parliament passed 11 bills for the inclusion of over 550 SC and ST castes between the years 2002 and 2012. Rai Sikhs were recognised as an SC community in Punjab on August 30, 2007. Mochi, Barwala, Mazhabi Sikhs, Ravidasia, Ravidasia Sikh, Ramdasia and Ramdasia Sikhs were also included awarded SC status in 2002. But, Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Punjab were last reserved in 2008 on the basis of Census, 2001. Therefore SCs in the state were not properly represented.”
Warwal said, “A Bill was introduced in this regard on March 14 in Rajya Sabha by the then Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, after it was cleared by the Union Cabinet that was chaired by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
“The purpose of the Bill is to empower the Election Commission of India to readjust the reserved seats as per the revised population of SC/ST lists in India and it was referred to the Standing Committee on March 18. The Standing Committee headed by Shanta Ram Naik, had placed its report before Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on May 2,” Warwal said.
He said the Budget session was shortened by two days and adjourned on May 8. Then, the President of India issued an ordinance in this regard and the Election Commission began working on the issue, Warwal said.
He further said as per the Census, 2011, SC community increased to form 31.9 per cent (88,60,179) of the population in Punjab.
“Rai Sikhs population is estimated at 8.5 lakh in Punjab as per Census, 2011. Therefore, of the total 117 seats in the state, the existing 34 reserved seats for SCs are to be increased to 37,” claimed Warwal.
He said that in the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat, 42.2 per cent of the total population was SC. In the state, this seat represents the highest number of people belonging to the SC community and the second highest in the country, he said.
“So, as per the Constitution, it has to be reserved the SC community. Interestingly, during the last parliamentary elections the last MP seat (among 132 reserved MP seats) to be reserved had 24 per cent SC population.”
When contacted, MP Ferozepur, Sher Singh Ghubaya of the SAD, said, “It is a big achievement for the community that an ordinance has been issued for the readjustment of representation of SCs and STs in Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies. Besides others, nearly 3 lakh Rai Sikhs of Ferozepur will benefit from this move.”
Ghubaya said that the process of readjustment of seats had begun and the constituencies will be reserved on the basis of the figures in Census, 2011.”
Probable changes
The existing 34 reserved seats for SCs in the state may be increased to 37
Fazilka, Jalalabad, Guruharsahai assembly constituencies and Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency to be reserved
Politicians to be hit
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Hans Raj Josan, Cabinet Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani, Dr Mohinder Kumar Rinwa, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Vardev Singh Mann and former MP Jagmeet Brar
Courtesy: The Tribune
