No more Anglo-Indian to be nominated to LS, Assemblies

Anglo-Indians are unlikely to be nominated to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies from now on with the government on Monday introducing a bill to amend the Constitution seeking to not to extend the provision that is in place for the past 70 years but expires in January next year.

At the same time, the Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill will extend by ten years the reservation of seats in Lok Sabha and Assemblies for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad but was opposed by Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy who said the Anglo-Indian community is being deprived.

Prasad said as of now, there are only 296 members of the Anglo-Indian community, which was contested by some MPs. Roy's opposition to the introduction was rejected by a voice vote.

The Article 334 had laid down provisions for reserving the seats for SCs and STs and nomination of Anglo-Indians to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, which shall cease to be in effect on the 25 January 2020, if not extended further, the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill said.

Giving reasons for extending the provisions for SCs and STs, it said these communities have made "considerable progress" in the past 70 years but the reasons which weighed with the Constituent Assembly in making the reservation of seats have "not yet ceased to exist".

It said the government want to retain the inclusive character as envisioned by the founding fathers of the Constitution and proposed to continue the reservation of seats for the SCs and STs for "another ten years”.

However, it did not provide any reason for the exclusion of Anglo-Indians from the ambit of this provision. However, Prasad said in the House, "I wanted to tell the House that we have not closed the discussions on this. I want to make this clear. So, it is not proper to raise this".

Earlier, Congress MP Hibi Eden had written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking his "urgent intervention" to reverse the government move. "The Anglo-Indian community has contributed significantly to the country and they are a vital part of our vibrant and diverse population. The revocation of their rights for reservation even when it was not offered to improve their economic status gave them a sense of belonging and protection," he said.

"I am of the opinion that the rationale behind the provision of reservation for Anglo Indian community were introduced in the constitution as they had no motherland and their population was way too thin for them to elect a representative of their own to protect the well-being of their community. Their social status does not seem to have changed and thus the reason for reservation remains," he said.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, All India Anglo-Indian Association President-in-Chief Barry O'Brien sought his intervention saying, “we find it unfathomable as to why this drastic step of amending the Constitution has been taken.”

“What appears to have shattered our community today is the suddenness with which this is being done and the fact that not a single Anglo-Indian leader or member of the community has been consulted, nor has a justification been offered before going in for this amendment,” he added.