Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: Warning of consequences, All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today demanded that a draft bill on the 73rd amendment of the Indian Constitution be introduced in the Assembly by February 5.
This was stated by Anil Sharma, president of AJKPC while addressing a meeting of Panchs and Sarpanchs from different blocks of Jammu province.
Alleging that the Government was trying to force elected Sarpanchs to resign, Sharma threatened to intensify their agitation over the implementation of the 73rd amendment.
He alleged that deliberate attempts are being made by the Government so that 33,000 elected Panchs and Sarpanchs to resign themselves.
“We ask the Government to come with draft bill on 73rd amendment by February 5, then make it public and get it passed in the upcoming Assembly session”, he said.
The law aims to empower the Panchayati Raj System in the country, and the AJKPC has been repeatedly demanding implementation of the law in the State, he said, adding that AJKPC condemns the Government’s attempts to weaken the Panchayati Raj System in the State, claiming that it was a conspiracy.
He said it was evident from the fact that despite so many requests, it had not moved an inch on the implementation of the 73rd amendment in the State.
Sharma invited Government for open debate to clear their stand on why they were opposing 73rd amendment. But they were silent and did not respond.
He said all Panchs and Sarpanchs have urged the AJKPC to take a tough stand against the Government if the law is not implemented at the earliest.
Among others present were Kulbushan Khajuria, Gautam Singh Jamwal, Raj Kumar, Raj Mohammad Chandel, BD Bhagat, Sanjeev Sharma, Munshi Ram, Mushtaq Ahmed, Ashok Bhagat, Pritam Singh, Ram Lal, Bachan Singh, Fazzi Mohammad, etc.
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