Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 25: Following publication of a news item in the Excelsior in its issue on September 23 regarding lack of empowerment of Panchayats, AICC (I) general secretary Rahul Gandhi has called a delegation of five Sarpanchs from the State for a meeting with him on September 27 in New Delhi.
Shafiq Ahmad Mir, a Sarpanch from Poshana, Mughal Road, who had been quoted in the Excelsior news, today received a call from Kaushik Singh, Office Incharge of Rahul Gandhi.
Mir told the Excelsior that Rahul Gandhi has called him along with a delegation of four other Sarpanchs from across the State for a meeting with him at 11.30 am on September 27 to discuss the issue of delay in empowerment of Panchayats.
Besides Mr Mir, four other Sarpanchs, who would be leaving for New Delhi tomorrow to meet Rahul, are Khurshid Ahmad Wani from Anantnag, Imtiyaz Ahmad Beg from Sopore, Ghulam Mohammad Mir from Kupwara and Maqbool Choudhary from Rajouri.
Shafiq Mir, who is convenor of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference, said they would be strongly taking up the issue of empowerment of Panchayats with Mr Gandhi in the meeting.
Worthwhile to mention here that lack of empowerment of Panchayats by the State Government including implementation of 73rd amendment of the Constitution has become an issue of debate both within and outside the State with the issue also figuring in Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting today in New Delhi.
PTI adds from New Delhi:
Militant threats to panchayat members in Jammu and Kashmir and non-delegation of powers to elected sarpanchs were discussed in the Congress Working Committee meeting today, with party general secretary Rahul Gandhi seeking a “serious consideration” of the issue.
CWC member and AICC general secretary in-charge for Punjab and Bihar Gulchain Singh Charak said in the meeting that elected sarpanchs and panchayat members have not been given powers entitled under the Panchayati Raj Act despite more than one-and-half-year since the panchyat elections took place in Jammu and Kashmir.
He pointed that elected panchayat members are also facing militant threats regularly and many of them have been killed.
Few CWC members called for convening a special meeting on the killings of Panchayat members in Jammu and Kashmir.
“At this Rahul Gandhi said that it was a serious matter and required attention,” AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said. Party sources said Rahul Gandhi favoured “serious consideration” of the issue.
Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in April last year after a gap of 34 years.
At least 40 panchayat members have tendered their resignations fearing for their life after the killing of a panch in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Sunday.
Forty panchs, including three sarpanchs, have submitted their resignations to the J&K Government in Baramulla district alone and reports suggest many more are in the offing.
Militants have killed several panchs and sarpanchs since the landmark panchayat polls. Posters have surfaced in many areas of Kashmir, asking the panchs and sarpanchs to resign from their posts or face dire consequences.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday said he would discuss the issue of providing security to panchayat members in the next meeting of Unified Headquarters to ensure their safety.
Meanwhile, Congress today fully backed Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh by endorsing Government’s new economic reforms decisions even as there was demand in the party for steps to allay people’s apprehensions on these measures.
The endorsement came at the first meeting of the CWC after Trinamool Congress walked out of UPA with the Congress President Sonia Gandhi saying the reforms were “very necessary” and the Government has begun the moves in that direction.
While no resolution was adopted at the meeting, the tone and tenor of Gandhi’s speech made it clear that the party was fully behind the Government on the reforms decisions that had led to a political storm and withdrawal of Trinamool Congress support to the Government.
Gandhi saw no threat to the Government saying it was “stable”. Though she did not take any names, sources said Gandhi mentioned in her opening remarks that while one party (Trinamool Congress) has withdrawn support from UPA, two allies (SP and BSP) have reiterated their outside support to the Government.
“Government is stable. There is no threat to the Government,” Dwivedi quoted Gandhi as saying in the meeting.
At the same time, there was a demand in the meeting for steps to allay apprehensions of people regarding the new economic reform measures initiated by the Government at a time when elections are due in some States in the next few months.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh assured the party’s apex decision-making body that steps for the poor and the disadvantaged will continue in league with the Congress policies for development and welfare of the ‘Aam Admi’ (common man).
At the meeting, which began with the opening remarks of Gandhi, the Government made a strong pitch for reforms with Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
He making it clear that unless the country’s economic condition was sound the Government would not not be in a position to implement the flagship programmes of UPA targeted at the poor.
The Prime Minister said that effective steps for welfare of the poor cannot be taken unless the economy was strong.
Explaining the rationale behind the measures, Chidambaram said the Government wanted that the country should not get affected due to the global economic crisis.
In her opening remarks, Gandhi said that reforms in the economy were “very necessary” and the Government has begun the moves in that direction.
The Congress President also slammed BJP for playing “negative” politics, saying the main opposition party should play the role of a responsible opposition as was done by Congress when it was not in power.
Congress sources said that there a likelihood of the party organising a massive rally in Delhi in support of the measures initiated by the Government.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was specially called to the meeting in which members said rallies should be held at district level to convince the people about the need to bring in reforms measures.
Ten days ago, the Government had hiked the diesel price, put a cap on the supply of subsidised domestic LPG cylinders and decided to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail.
The CWC meeting came five days after a nation-wide bandh by the opposition in protest against the measures.
Replying to questions, AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said that there was nothing like a dissenting note from any party leader on the economic reform measures.
“No such thing came up in the CWC meeting,” Dwivedi said when asked whether there was any dissenting voice on the Government measures like diesel hike and FDI.
There was no discussion on the issue of Telangana, he said.
There was speculation earlier that the party could firm up its view in the CWC meeting on the vexed issue of separate statehood.
Sources said that a senior party member felt that if possible, the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to each household should be increased.
The CWC was of the view that all precautions should be taken to remove the apprehensions of people on FDI.
Briefing the CWC, Chidambaram said the Government has only three options to improve the economy of the country including raising production, increasing investment in the country and cutting on subsidies on which it is working.
After a number of CWC members expressed the view that there is a need to convince people about measures and counter the Opposition campaign against the Government on the issue, it was decided that the week-long campaign carried out by Union Ministers and senior Congress leaders in different States will be extended further.
The Congress President also expressed sorrow over incidents of communal violence in few States and the violent ethnic clashes in Assam.
A view was also expressed in the CWC that opposition parties ruling in States were making political capital out of central schemes by claiming them as their own initiatives.
One of the leaders raised this in the context of Gujarat, saying posters of Chief Minister Narendra Modi are displayed relating to works carried out under Central Government schemes. (PTI)
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