Congress should clear stand on SC/ST Act: LJP

Patna, July 30: Accusing Congress of "double speak" over SC/ST Act, Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party on Monday said the grand-old party should clear its stand on the issue.

Addressing the media, Party MP and Paswan's son Chirag Paswan said, "Congress constantly says NDA Govt is against Dalits. But on the other hand, its leaders question Centre on ordinance about SC/ST Act and support the appointment of AK Goyal as NGT Chairman. Congress and Rahul Gandhi need to come out clear on SC/ST Act.

LJP on Friday gave the BJP government time till August 9 to restore the stringent measures of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Bihar-based LJP has Aalso demanded that Justice (retd) AK Goel be removed as Chairman of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by August 9.

Goel was one of the two judges of a Supreme Court bench whose March 2018 verdict has been widely perceived as a dilution of the original provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He was appointed the NGT Chairperson earlier this month, immediately after his retirement from the Supreme Court.

The LJP said if its demands are not met, the party would join the 'Bharat bandh' being organised by Dalit groups on August 10 to press for restoration of the original provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The LJP, which has six MPs in the Lok Sabha, draws its core support from the Dalits in Bihar