LJP asks Congress, BSP to clarify stand on SC/ST Act

NEW DELHI: The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan on Monday came down heavily on the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) asking them to clarify their stand on the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.nnSpeaking to ANI, “On the one hand, the Congress constantly says that the NDA government is against the Dalits. On the other hand, the Congress leaders question the Centre over the ordinance on the SC/ST Act, and support the appointment of Justice AK Goel as National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairman. The Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi need to come out clear on the SC/ST Act.”nnOn the BSP’s stand on the issue, Chirag Paswan said: “(BSP supremo) Mayawati is not clearing her position because her own government in 2007 passed an order that a case would not be registered against a person (merely) over a complaint filed by a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, until the matter is scrutinised by a senior police officer.”nnOn July 27, he raised an objection on the appointment of retired Justice Goel as the NGT chief. The LJP alleged that Justice Goel had acted against the interests of the Dalits by passing judgment on dilution provisions of the SC/ST Act.nnUnion Minister and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader Upendra Kushwaha and Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale earlier too had opposed the appointment of Justice Goel as NGT chief.nnLJP had threatened the Centre that they would join the agitation led by the Dalit outfits if amendments were not made in the Act by August 9. However, Paswan cleared that their party did not give an ultimatum to the Centre on the issue.nnLJP, which is an ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), had earlier demanded to introduce an ordinance or executive order to restore stringent arrest rules in SC/ST Act.nnSource: ANI