After the lok Janshakti Party (lJP), another BJP ally Republican Party of India (RPI) on Saturday demanded the removal of National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairman AK Goel who was one of the members of the Supreme Court Bench that delivered the judgment on the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, calling for some safeguards in its implementation.
The Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale who also heads the RPI (Athawale) said former Supreme Court judge had given a wrong judgment on the SC/ST Act and hence, his appointment as NGT chairman is not appropriate.
“Justice Goyal had given wrong judgment on SC/ST Atrocities Act. I don’t think it is appropriate to appoint him as NGT chairman. I am a part of NDA, but I demand that he should be removed from that post. He has hurt feelings of Dalits,” according to Athawale The retired apex court judge was on July 6 appointed as the chairperson of the NGT for five years.
On March 20, the Supreme Court bench led by Justice Goyal and UU lalit introduced the provision of anticipatory bail in the SC/ST Atrocities Act and also directed that there will be no automatic arrest on any complaint filed under the Act.
The ally trouble seem to have started brewing within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with the smell of next poll growing stronger and closer. On Friday Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led lok Jan Shakti Party (lJP) also gave ultimatum to the Modi-Government to restore the stringent measures of the said Act and sought removal of Goel by August 9.
Paswan’s son Chirag Pawan has threatened that the lJP would join anti-Government protests by Dalit organisations on August 9 if their demands are not met.
lJP and RPI's warning comes closer to the worsening ties between the BJP and its oldest ideological slly Shiv Sena which had moved still further away from the NDA as was evident in its absentia from the no-confidence vote on last Friday.
The NDA ally ‘rebellion’ was set off since March when Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party had moved out of alliance citing not fulfilling of promises made by the Modi-Government towards the bifurcated Andhra Pradesh.