In a session marked by friction and procedural urgency, the Rajya Sabha on Monday passed two significant legislations – the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of Goa Bill, 2025, and the Coastal Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 – through voice vote, in the absence of Opposition members.
The House reconvened at 2 p.m. with Surendra Singh Nagar presiding. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was briefly allowed to speak, during which he claimed that 250 Members of Parliament had taken out a rally to protest alleged “vote theft.”
The treasury benches strongly objected, leading to a brief uproar. Kharge later clarified that 250 MPs had been detained and taken to police stations. However, Nagar interrupted and urged him to proceed with the scheduled legislative business.
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda followed, stating that no point of order could override the ongoing discussion on the Bills. He criticised the Opposition for disrupting proceedings and reiterated the government’s readiness to respond to any issue during the debate on Operation Sindoor.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Goa ST Representation Bill, which seeks to rectify a long-standing electoral imbalance.
The Bill aims to enable reservation of seats under Article 332 of the Constitution for effective democratic participation of Scheduled Tribe members and to provide for readjustment of seats in the Goa Legislative Assembly. This readjustment is necessitated by the inclusion of certain communities in the Scheduled Tribes list of Goa and for related matters.
Meghwal said that despite Scheduled Tribes constituting over 10 per cent of Goa’s population — rising from just 566 in 2001 to more than 1.5 lakh in 2011 — no Assembly seats had been reserved for them.
The Bill empowers the Election Commission to redraw constituency boundaries and reserve four seats for STs in the 40-member Goa Assembly.
Supporting the legislation, BJP MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade from Goa said, “This Bill ensures proper representation and social justice for tribal communities, in keeping with the democratic spirit of our Constitution.”
YSRCP’s Subhash Chandra Bose Pilli and BJD’s Niranjan Bishi also spoke in favour, with Bishi confirming that four seats would now be reserved for STs.
Separately, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal introduced the Merchant Shipping Bill, which consolidates and amends laws related to merchant shipping. The Bill ensures compliance with India’s obligations under maritime treaties and international instruments to which India is a party, and promotes the development and efficient maintenance of Indian mercantile marine in line with national interests. The Bill had been passed by the Lok Sabha and was taken into consideration in the Rajya Sabha.
-ANI