A day after The Hindu news report on Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla flagging concerns over inadequate speaking time for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Members of Parliament during discussions on key legislation, Janata Dal (United) national general secretary Shyam Rajak endorsed the remarks, saying Dalit representatives should be given sufficient opportunities to voice issues in Parliament.
“Jitan Ram Manjhi is a senior minister and also a prominent leader of the Dalit community. He must have felt this in Parliament, which is why he has mentioned it,” Mr. Comment | Inside Parliament: The simmering Dalit anger The remarks come after Mr. Speaking to reporters from Gaya, Mr. At the meetings, the concerns raised by the parliamentarians are then flagged to the concerned ministries and departments.
Manjhi, in a letter dated September 16 to the Lok Sabha Speaker, referred to concerns raised during an NDA MPs’ group meeting held at his residence on August 5. He further explained that each minister in the government chairs groups of 14-15 NDA MPs who meet regularly.
Rajak told reporters in Patna. He said BJP MP Gajendra Singh Patel, who represents the reserved tribal constituency of Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, had pointed out that SC and ST MPs were not being given adequate time to participate in debates on important Bills. Manjhi said that perhaps he should have addressed his letter to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, since allotting time for debates is his prerogative.
“Certainly, not just on Bills but on other issues as well, Dalit representatives should be given time to speak so that the issues for which the Poona Pact was reached, and the opposition to which had taken place, do not arise again.
Dalits, ordinary members of the Dalit community and their representatives, should not feel that they are inferior or different from others,” he said.
