Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 3: Demanding immediate implementation of 73rd Amendment and empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the State, a large number of Panchayat members raised anti-Government and pro-Panchayti Raj slogans in an official function presided by Ali Mohammad Sagar, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister.
In the ‘Maha Gram Sabha’ function held at Parade Ground and organized by Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj besides Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, Raman Bhalla, Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, Vikar Rasool, Minister of State for Information and Rural Development Departments, and other senior functionaries of the Government and a large number of Panchs and Sarpanchs were present in the program who were specially invited by the local BDOs .
Expressing their anger and to mark their protest amidst the program in presence of the Ministers, a large number of elected Panchayat members including senior leaders of the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference like Anil Sharma, general secretary AJKPC, Kulbushan Khajuria, provincial president Jammu and Raj Kumar, Mohammad Alam, Saleem Mohammad, Raghunandan Khajuria, Madan Lal, Pawan Raina and Sunita Sharma a senior member of the organization raised slogans against the anti Panchayat policies of the Government and demanded immediate incorporation of all the provisions of 73rd Amendment of the Union Panchayati Raj Act. Giving further details about their protest in the official function, Anil Sharma, said that the State Government and particularly the Panchayati Raj Minister and other National Conference leaders are befooling the 33,000 Panchayat members and this dual speak compelled them to raise their demand in the official function.
He also said “While in Kashmir, the police on the behest of State Government had cane-charged and detained the innocent Panchs and Sarpanchs to oppress their legal protest but here in Jammu the Panchayati Raj Minister again trying to hoodwink the people in general and elected Panchayat members in particular and we (AJKPC ) cannot remain mute spectator”.
Later the AJKPC Leaders also paid their respect to Mahatama Gandhi and garlanded his portrait.
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