JD(U) backs Jitan Ram Manjhi’s call for more time in Parliament for SC/ST members

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. Rajak told reporters in Patna.

He argued that elected representatives from Dalit communities should be allowed adequate floor time not only during debates on Bills but also on other issues concerning their constituents.

“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.

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Letter to Speaker

The remarks come after Mr. 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 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.

Mr. Manjhi urged the Speaker to take steps to address the issue and ensure that MPs from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities receive sufficient opportunities to contribute to parliamentary proceedings.

Speaking to reporters from Gaya, Mr. Manjhi said that perhaps he should have addressed his letter to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, since allotting time for debates is his prerogative. He further explained that each minister in the government chairs groups of 14-15 NDA MPs who meet regularly. At the meetings, the concerns raised by the parliamentarians are then flagged to the concerned ministries and departments.