Shadow Correspondent
JAMMU, APR 24:
Reacting to the news published in a section of press about celebration of Panchayat Diwas in the state by the leaders of coalition Partners, the JK AAP described it as shedding crocodile tears to befool the masses that falsely tend to strengthen & promote the Panchayati Raj but in fact they are the real murderers of basic unit of democracy.
These views were expressed in a meeting of JK AAP activists held at Party head quarter Chhani Himmat, Jammu under the chairmanship of Mr. Farooq Ahmed Banday Sr. AAP activist.
Various speakers expressed great anguish & pain as to how the successive governments in the state have badly mauled the provisions of basic Panchayat Act and reduced it to a mere toothless tiger by making several amendments in Panchayati Raj Act 1989. They said that if BJP& PDP are realy sincere in decentralization of power into the hands of public representatives in a democratic way through democratic process, they should implemented 73rd & 74th amendments of Indian constitution in the state in toto; hold Panchayat election on time, constitute Block Development Councils (Block Samities) & District planning & Development Boards ( Zilla Parishads) at par with other states in the country and remove all amendments made in it by successive governments including Present BJP-PDP dispensation, citing Art.370. The release further said that not implementing central laws of public importance like Panchayati Raj, 73rd & 74th amendments involving public interest is the biggest misuse of Art. 370. The people of the state had pinned high hopes with BJP as champion of removing Art.370,has gone one step ahead in opening a new door of corruption through an amendment in already amended Panchayati Raj by removing direct election to the office of Sarpanch.
Prominent among those who attended the meeting includes S/Sh.Ram Singh Chauhan, Kuldeep Kumar Rao, Harpreet Singh, Raj Kumar Nichal, S.S Jamwal, Mehar Singh, Ram Pal Kajuria & Rameshwar Samyal.
