MUMBAI: A number of tribal MLAs together with Deputy Speaker, NCP MLA Narhari Zirwal, one of many senior-most tribal MLAs from the ruling coalition jumped onto security nets put in in Mantralaya protesting in opposition to the discontinuation of appointment of Scheduled Tribe candidates notified below PESA (The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension of Scheduled Space) and granting Scheduled Tribe standing to Dhangars forward of the meeting elections.
The Zirwal jumped from the third flooring and have been then taken away by the police. CM Eknath Shinde is prone to name the MLAs for a gathering later within the afternoon to try to resolve their points.
Together with Zirwal, BJP MP Hemant Savra, MLAs Kiran Lahamate, Hiraman Khoskar and Rajesh Patil additionally jumped on to the protection nets.
After the police acquired the MLAs out of the nets, they staged a sit-in within the Mantralaya premises.
Tribal MLAs have been protesting to demand for recruitment of the tribals in govt jobs below the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act 1996. They mentioned that since Oct 2023, the method for recruiting tribals in 17 totally different classes has been stalled on the state govt-level within the PESA.
They mentioned over these months, recruitments have been held for the posts of lecturers, forest guards, and varied different posts within the income and the well being division amongst others. Whereas non-tribal candidates have both joined or handed appointment letters, the tribal candidates for whom the posts have been reserved within the PESA have nonetheless not been recruited.
“Underneath PESA, tribal college students have been appointed however later they have been instructed that they will’t get full time appointments. They even tried to satisfy CM Shinde however they may not meet the CM. So that they needed to take an aggressive stand. They met the CM earlier on Friday however they weren’t happy along with his response so that they jumped onto the nets. They’ve been taken away by the police. Round 15-16 tribal MLAs have been in Mantralaya and a few of them jumped onto the nets,” mentioned an official.
Final month, in a letter to CM Shinde, Zirwal mentioned the MahaYuti govt should not take any unconstitutional choice concerning to incorporate Dhangars in theST listing and a TISS report about Dhangar reservation needs to be printed. Zirwal is an MLA from the tribal dominated Dindori meeting constituency who had mentioned in his letter that their protest is in opposition to the MahaYuti govt’s lack of response to tribal MLAs who have been protesting in opposition to the inclusion of Dhangar group within the ST listing.
Zhirwal had mentioned Dhangar group members had no points with the govt. asserting financial schemes for his or her improvement however are in opposition to their inclusion within the ST fold.
“As the federal government will not be listening to us, we elected representatives — together with former ones, similar to senior politician Madhukar Pichad — will now sit in a dharna close to Mantralaya till the federal government withdraws its choice. Govt can provide something to the Dhangar group, however don’t embody it within the ST class,” mentioned Zhirwal, including, “I had already spoken in opposition to the govt. decision claiming Dhangar (in Maharashtra) and Dhangar (within the ST class) are the identical.”
Notably, Mantralaya had put in security internet in its premises in February 2018 after a spate of suicide makes an attempt from increased flooring.
