Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 3: Terming the upcoming Panchayat polls as crucial for strengthening democracy at grass-roots level in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah today exhorted the cadre to gear up for the big challenge and ensure election of public spirited and honest representatives to the basic democratic institutions.
“Notwithstanding the spirit of Panchayati Raj System having been trampled by the PDP-BJP dispensation by amending the Panchayat Raj Act 1989, National Conference believes Panchayats as engine of political empowerment of the people at large and development of rural areas as per local aspirations”, Dr Farooq Abdullah said while addressing the senior functionaries, former ministers and legislators besides District Presidents and Secretaries of the Jammu Province at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here this afternoon.
He said the ensuing elections will give new dimension to political discourse in the State with politically sagacious people signaling a change to undo the wrongs committed by the present Coalition Government. He referred to the amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act 1989 mainly to have indirect election of Sarpanchs and said this will weaken the system and give rise to manipulations.
He said Jammu and Kashmir had an indigenous Panchayati Raj System that empowered people to actively participate in the process of planning, executing and monitoring of development at village levels. He dwelt upon the backdrop of the Act and said this was drafted after studying various models of the Panchayati Raj in various states of the country.
“We will restore back the spirit of the Panchayat Raj Act, as per urges and aspirations of the people, once we come with a clear mandate and undo the wrong with two-thirds majority”, Dr Abdullah said amid huge applause.
He asked the cadre to further intensify their mass contact, fan out in their areas and seek massive participation of voters in the upcoming democratic exercise. He hoped that the people will identify honest and well meaning representative who will be instrumental in changing the rural landscape. “Women must come forward hugely and benefit from the 33 percent reservation in Panchayats”, he added.
While seeking the mass participation in Panchayat elections, the NC President cautioned against machinations of divisive forces, who may try to vitiate the atmosphere by engineering communal divide.
“There is no threat to any religion and if there is danger to anything at all, is the politics of hate, which has been serving as a shield to communal elements”, he said, adding the politics of mistrust and suspicion will take toll of the nation.
He asked the believers of hate-politics to keep off from Jammu and Kashmir that is a shining example of amity and communal harmony.
“In 1947 we refused to accede to Muslim Pakistan and chose to be part of secular India”, he said and hoped this trust will be respected and any attempt of deviating from the chosen path of secularism the relationship of the state will get weakened with Indian domain. “In fact, the communal polarization is a serious threat to unity of the nation”, he observed.
During the meeting, senior state and provincial level and district functionaries, former ministers, former and sitting legislators spoke on the occasion and gave an overview of the political scenario and preparations being made for the Panchayati elections. Mostly the speakers expressed concern over clandestine delimitation of Panchayats, saying composition of wards is being manipulated to suit the political interests of the coalition partners. They, however, exuded confidence that the manipulations won’t deter the people to choose right people for Panchayats, which will be a befitting reply to the ruling dispensation.
On the occasion, Dr Farooq Abdullah released the latest edition of “Aatsh-e-Chinar”, autobiography of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah.
Meanwhile, Brig (Retd) K. K Lakhanpal joined the National Conference in presence of the party president Dr Farooq Abdullah and senior leaders.
Welcoming Brig Lakhanpal into the party at a function at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here, Dr Farooq Abdullah said he will be entrusted with the crucial assignment of looking after the affairs of ex-servicemen and war-widows, whose problems are manifold.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
