Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 8: Former Union Minister and MLA, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta has ridiculed the repeated loud pro-announcements by the Congress leadership for empowerment of the basic democracies in J&K.
In a statement issued here today he observed that this could not be possible without flow of the Indian Constitution to which their leading leadership in the State has been opposed to.
Commenting on the strong protests by the Sarpanchs and the Panchs at the political rally of the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi here on Wednesday Prof. Gupta said that it was deplorable to utilize the Panchs and Surpanchs for this purpose. It was rather a question mark on the wisdom of the party to force these people for a political show, especially when the Panchayat elections were held on non-party lines. The protests of the village leaders was an obvious out bust of their anger, he added and warned to read writing on the walls.
He recalled that certain leaders of the ruling Congress have been parroting for a long time for empowerment of the Panchayats as also the local bodies. But despite expiry of about a decade now, little practical has been done on the ground, so much so even the election Process of the Panchayats has not been completed despite expiry of over 40 months now. Contrary to these promises in and outside the legislature, no elections have been held to the civic bodies which were due in April 2010.
Prof. Gupta recalled that the promises for empowerment for these basic democracies have been repeatedly made by no less a person than the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh since 2005, as also the assurances given in the Congress manifestoes of 2002 and 2008.
Follow our WhatsApp channel