Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 18: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today asked the party cadre to gear up for larger participation of people in the ensuing Panchayat elections, stating that people are looking towards Congress as a strong alternative in the State.
He was interacting with prominent persons of Panchayats Daraph and Chatha during a public meeting organized by Block president Amrit Bali in Gandhi Nagar constituency.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said the Congress party has always struggled for empowerment of grass root institutions to strengthen democracy in the State. He asked party cadres to expose the failures and misdeeds of the ousted coalition Government in order to educate them about the falsehood and double standards of the PDP-BJP dispensation on governance and security situation.
Bhalla maintained that Congress has the bright chances to emerge as a largest alternative in the State in view of total disenchantment of the people with other parties especially BJP in Jammu region and PDP in the Valley. The people look towards Congress as a strong alternative for its appropriate strategies and works in every nook and corner of State during their Government in the State.
Lashing out at previous PDP-BJP dispensation, Bhalla said PDP-BJP combine cannot escape the responsibility of damages caused to peace process, as both the parties have exploited people for power and are responsible for restlessness and mistrust among the people.
He said that the Congress has the credit of establishing the Panchayat Raj system throughout the country and it was the result of great struggle and efforts of Congress that the 73rd and 74th amendments were incorporated in the State laws to further empower the Panchayats and ULBs.
While seeking the mass participation in Panchayat elections, Bhalla cautioned against machinations of divisive forces, who may try to vitiate the atmosphere by engineering communal divide.
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