Headlines
A year on, no government decision on nominating Anglo-Indian members to Lok Sabha
By
Brajendra Singh New Delhi June 4
Even though the Narendra Modi
government has completed a year in office, the nomination of two
Anglo-Indian members to the Lok Sabha is yet to be decided.
This, despite several reminders from members of the Anglo-Indian community and its organisations.
“The
process to nominate two members of Anglo-Indian community to the Lok
Sabha is still on. We have received some names from the community but no
decision has been taken yet,†Minister of State for Minority Affairs
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS.
“Appropriate persons will be nominated soon,†he added.
According
to Article 331 of the Constitution, the President may, if he is of the
opinion that the Anglo-Indian community is not adequately represented in
the House of the People, nominate two members of the community to that
House.
Cabinet minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla had
earlier written a letter to the prime minister after a delegation of
Anglo-Indian Associations of India met her three months ago urging her
to nominate the members. The assosiation had suggested some names to the
minister.
The association had also submitted a memorandum to
the president, the prime minister, the home minister and BJP president
Amit Shah seeking their urgent intervention to nominate the members
"without delay".
The Anglo-Indian members in the last Lok Sabha were Charles Dias from Kerela and Ingrid Mcleod from Chattisgarh.
Expressing
dissatisfaction over delay, Dias, who is also the president of
Anglo-Indian Associations of India, told IANS from Kerela that this is
“cruelty†to the community, adding: “We will go to any extent for our
constitutional right.â€
He said the governmenthad not even
responded to their request. "This is a very serious issue. The
government should make its stand clear soon,†he added.
Dias said that the "unjustifiable delay" had caused one-fifth of the period to pass without the members.
In
all previous Lok Sabhas, including during NDA rule under prime minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the nominations were made soon after a new
government was voted in. The Vajpayee government had nominated Beatrix
D'souza and Denzil B. Atkinson.
Frank Antony and A.E.T Barrow were the first members from the community to be nominated to the first Lok Sabha.