Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 13: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today said that BJP cannot absolve itself from a series of political failures in the State over the last four years.
“The BJP being a coalition partner in the State Govt and holding office in the Central Government had promised several promises to people of State but neither of these promises which were publicly announced have been fulfilled. If they had sincerely followed up, the situation could have improved,” Bhalla said while interacting with people of Bahu Fort area of Gandhi Nagar constituency.
Terming the tenure of Coalition Government as an example of complete betrayal as all their poll promises proved to be hollow, Bhalla said despite getting huge mandate from Jammu and Kashmir respectively, PDP-BJP failed to deliver on single platform. By indulging in personal issues they left the State people into lurch. While alleging that people of many localities of Jammu city are facing shortage of water, ration and other crisis, former Minister said that rising inflation coupled with other problems have made the life of people miserable in the State. Bhalla said that BJP worked totally against the interest of poor, farmers, unemployed youth and working class in country. He said that the Coalition Government had failed in reaching out to the suffering border residents and those who have been affected by the rains and the overall scenario across the State is horribly pathetic.
Former Minister today hailed approval by SAC to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, for conducting elections of Sarpanches of Halqa Panchayats directly by the electorate of Halqa Panchayats and not by indirect method of electing Sarpanches from among the Panches themselves. Bhalla said that this will restore the original position in the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, which provided for direct elections of Sarpanches, a position altered by an amendment passed in 2016 by PDP-BJP Govt. Bhalla said that previous PDP-BJP Govt made every effort to towards “weakening” the Panchayati Raj system and alleged that steps like indirect election of Sarpanches would have led to horse-trading.
Bhalla maintained that there was need for doing this amendment to restore the primacy and importance of the Sarpanches in the Panchayati Raj System and giving them the necessary legitimacy to be able to discharge their functions. This provides stability in the Panchayati Raj System and ensures accelerated development which meets local needs.
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