SRINAGAR/ NEW DELHI, Sept 28:
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said there was no battle going on between him and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on security for Sarpanchs and empowering of Panchayats.
“Have to love the media’s priorities when my imaginary battle with Rahul (Gandhi) is more important than what the President (Pranab Mukherjee) says in Kashmir,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.Com.
Congress had yesterday dismissed suggestions that it is “Omar versus Rahul” on the issue of the security of elected Sarpanchs in Jammu and Kashmir but stressed they should be provided full security by the State Government.
“Not at all. There is nothing like Omar Abdullah versus Rahul Gandhi in this matter,” party spokesperson Rashid Alvi had told reporters in Delhi when asked whether the issue of security of elected Sarpanchs and Panchayat members in Jammu and Kashmir was leading to some sort of a tiff between Gandhi and Omar.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Salman Khurshid today dismissed reports of a tiff between Rahul Gandhi and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over empowering Sarpanchs in the State but insisted that they should be given power across the country “without any exception”.
“Not at all,” was his response when asked if the issue of giving power to the elected Panchayat members and Sarpanchs under the Panchayati Raj Act has snowballed into a Rahul versus Omar issue.
Khurshid said it should be seen as a matter of political engagement – related to social justice and political justice.
“The Congress President and Rahul Gandhi have a very strong commitment towards the rights of Panchayats. This is a commitment that we have made to the whole country and they want it to be implemented across the country without any exception,” he said, explaining as to why Rahul was taking so much interest in the matter.
A nine-member delegation of Sarpanchs from Jammu and Kashmir had yesterday met Rahul at his residence complaining that the State Government has not delegated powers to them under the Panchayati Raj Act and was treating them like “second-rate citizen”.
The issue of security threat to Panchayat members and the non-delegation of powers to them was also raised in Congress Working Committee meeting on Tuesday.
The delegation of Sarpanchs had also sought compensation of Rs 20 lakh for dependents of each of the three Sarpanchs killed in the State and requested Rahul to address at least one Mahapanchayat meeting each in Jammu and in Kashmir.
Rahul had told them that he would visit the State soon.
The Law Minister also noted that no power is being delegated or decentralised to Sarpanchs in the State, which has been the Congress policy.
“I do not know what issues are holding back this decentralisation. I am sure that Rahul’s intervention will give a boost to this demand and we will probably see it being implemented because this is a commitment, we have given to the people of India,” he said. (Agencies)
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