Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 24: Strongly resenting over the repeated postponement of the elections to the Local Bodies, the former Union Minister and M L A Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta has charged the coalition leaders of making mockery of the basic democracies including the Civic bodies, Panchayats and even that of the Cooperatives.
Reacting over the reports that elections to the Urban Local Bodies have been postponed for having summary revision of the Electoral Rolls, Prof. Gupta said this process is an annual feature but it was strange the elections are being postponed after repeated postponements.
It is about four years now that in the very first session of the newly elected Assembly, the no less a person than the State Governor in his address to the Joint Session of both the Houses had promised that the elections to the Panchayats and Local Bodies would be held soon after the Lok Sabha polls and these basic democracies would be empowered in conformity with the provisions of the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Indian Constitution. Since then within and outside the Legislature so many promises were made to hold these elections including that of the Local Bodies but are being postponed on lame excuses, he added.
He said even the process of Panchayati Raj system has not been completed to make it three tier as envisaged in the State Style Panchayati Raj Act. He alleged that the ruling leaders of the Congress as also that of the National Conference have made the whole democratic system of their own convenience and despotic approach is being opted to suit their ends.
Prof. Gupta regretted that the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution granting so called Special status has come to be big curse for the people. Taking advantage of this separate status these leaders are demanding more autonomy and powers for themselves but not prepared to get peculated any of the powers to the Panchayats and Local Bodies resulting in many problems including the awful sanitation and other problems.
As far as the electoral rolls are concerned, he pointed that these are full of mistakes and howlers as also that of anomalies but never a sincere effort was made to get rectified these. All this needed an extensive revision which is not being taken up, he added.
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