Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 9: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress held a strong dharna out side Raj Bhawan here today, to lodge protest against the controversial Amendment Bill, 2016 to the J&K Panchayati Raj laws.
The protesting Congressmen, led by PCC president G A Mir, also submitted a memorandum to the Governor urging him not to give his assent to the bill.
Senior leaders of Pradesh Congress, Sarpanchs/Panchs District Congress Committees assembled outside the Raj Bhavan Jammu and staged dharna amidst raising of slogans against the Amendment Bill and PDP-BJP coalition Government.
Addressing the gathering, JKPCC chief, G A Mir accused the PDP-BJP Coalition Government for weakening the Panchayati Raj system and said the bill is aimed at “eroding” the grassroot institutions of democracy in the State. He announced that Congress would launch a movement in the State against this move and educate the masses against the “anti-democratic and anti-people” policies of the ruling coalition.
PCC vice-president Sham Lal Sharma said PDP talked of self-rule and questioned if this was the definition of self-rule slogan to divest people of their power to elect people of their choice. “BJP has surrendered for power on various issues and this move would weaken democracy in the State,” he alleged.
Mula Ram and Raman Bhalla, in their address, warned the Government against the anti-people and anti-democratic steps.
In the memorandum, Congress has strongly opposed the bill and said that it would erode the authority and stability of Panchayats and deprive the general public of their basic right in democracy to elect their representatives. The clubbing of various blocks would deprive them of representation in the District Development Boards which is against the rights of people and democracy, says and memorandum urging the Governor not to give his assent to the anti-democratic and anti-people bill and ask the Government to withdraw the same.
Ravinder Sharma, PCC chief spokesperson, Rajnish Sharma (Co-Tr) Balwan Singh, Vikram Malhotra, Manmohan Singh, Manjit Singh, Faqir Nath, Ch Shah Mohd , Namarata Sharma, Anil Chopra, Suman Bhagat, Swaran Lata, Shiv Dev Singh, Th Balber Singh, G L Chalotra, Krishan Bhagat, Kuldeep Verma, K L Gupta, Ashok Gupta, Pranav Shagotra, Indu Pawar, B S Sambyal, K K Pangotra, Neeraj Gupta, Surinder Gupta, Vijay Manahas, Manjit Singh Jatt, Sanjeev Sharma, Ch Sukhdev Singh, besides a large number of Sarpanchs and Panchs attended the protest dharna.
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