Hyderabad: The Union government's decision to amend the provisions of reservation of SCs/STs and Anglo-Indian community is facing severe backlash as the Constitution (126th Amendment Bill), 2019 scraps Anglo-Indian representation in parliament and state legislatures for the "time being".
“This constitutional amendment will allow extension of SCs and STs for 10 years. Our government is committed to the cause of SCs and STs. This is not a nomination but representation. This is a question of merit," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Before laying the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Prasad said that while the merits of the Bill could be gone into during the debate, the extension of reservation to the SC and ST communities was for representation, while the Anglo-Indian community was nominated.
“According to the 2011 census, there are 296 members of the Anglo Indian community in the entire country. However, I would still maintain that we have not closed our minds to revisiting the issue,” he said.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Derrick Fullinfaw, former Karnataka MLA and the chairman of All India Progressive Anglo-Indian Association, said that government should conduct a socio-economic survey of the community and based on the findings decision should be taken regarding reservation.
"At least 50% of Anglo-Indian men are unemployed or underemployed in Karnataka. 10-20% of the community are doing okay. Middle class accounts for around 30%. But overall, 50% of the community live in deplorable conditions," Fullinfaw said.
'Socio-economic survey necessary before ending representation'
"I urge government to conduct a survey into the living conditions. If we have not improved, in the interest of the micro-minority community, extend the reservation for a period of 10 years," Derrick Fullinfaw added.
'Ending Employment reservation was a death blow to the community'
"Employment reservation in state government undertaking and Central government undertaking ceased in the year 1960. It was a death blow to the community," he said.
"Anglo-Indian community is finding it difficult to get postings in Central/state government jobs," he added.
"Frank Anthony was the member at that time. If he had made a request to the government, they would have extended the reservation for another 10 years," he said. Anthony was a legendary Anglo-Indian leader who was the nominated member from the community, for all Lok Sabha from the 1st till the 10th except for the 6th and 9th LS.
Provisions for SCs/STs and Anglo-Indians are extended under Article 334 (a) and (b) of the Constitution. SCs, STs and Anglo-Indians were granted reservation for 70 years in the Constitution. The amendments under the Constitution (126th Amendment Bill), 2019 were necessitated as the provision ends on 25 January 2020.
While the Bill suggests an extension of SC/ST reservation by 10 years under Article 334(a) but did not include an extension of Article 334 (b). Two Anglo-Indians are nominated to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies under Article 331 and 333 of the Constitution and one in each state legislature as per 'The Constitution (Twenty-third Amendment) Act, 1969'.
If the bill gets passed in its current form, the members from this community stand to lose this political representation.
Read: Micro-minority Anglo-Indian community protest loss of legislative representation
