Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 7: While stressing the need to create conducive political atmosphere in the State before conduct of BDC elections, the Jammu Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has said that the credit for incorporating all provisions of 73rd & 74th Amendment in the State goes to Congress and not the BJP which had incorporated a retrograde amendment along with PDP in 2016 to abolish direct election of Sarpanchs.
It was Congress party which struggled from top to bottom for bringing in the 73rd & 74th Amendment in the State and even risked its coalition government in 2011, when finally it was mutually agreed by Congress-NC to incorporate all provisions of the Central legislation, in the present J&K Panchayat Raj Act, in accordance to which fresh elections have been held.
PCC media chief Ravinder Sharma said that it was the result of the efforts of the Congress party that all remaining provisions of 73rd were incorporated in toto, on March 14, 2014, whereby due reservation to the SCs/STs besides 33% to women was provided at the level of Sarpanch, Chairpersons of BDCs & District Development Boards.
He said that the BJP had tried to weaken the PRIs by amending the Act in 2016 removing direct election of Sarpanchs, besides clubbing new CD blocks, thus attacking the very roots of 73rd but thanks to the wisdom of then Governor Vohra, who later again nullified the same, responding to the dissenting voices and opposition of Congress and others besides representatives of Panchayats.
PCC said that still the Finance Commission as per Amended Act was not set up during last over 5 years to fix the share of Panchayats out of the revenue of the state and fully independent Election Commission with powers to delimit, reserve & rotate the seats in PRIs as per amended Act, had not been set up. However, he said Congress party always supported any move to further strengthen and empower the PRIs being basic institutions of democracy but regretted that any electoral exercise in isolation when entire spectrum of non-BJP parties and political forces are under strict curbs & restrictions, would invite questions on the democratic values and credibility of the exercise.
A conducive political atmosphere and safe security environment needs to be created to make the entire exercise more credible and meaningful as per the real essence of democracy, he added.
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