Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 1: All Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on today declared that it would mobilize the people and launch a State-wide agitation against the Government’s move to weaken the Panchayati Raj system and crush democracy at the grass-roots level in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly on June 30, is a black law which will snatch the democratic rights of the people to elect their representatives at the grass root level. The State Government has cleared its intentions of weakening the Panchayati Raj System in J&K,” Anil Sharma, State president, AJKPC said.
He was addressing the local people of Dansal and Nagrota blocks who held a strong demonstration against the State Government’s ill-advised move to snatch their rights of electing sarpanches of their own choice.
“We are left with no option but start a vigorous State-wide agitation against the Government which has tried to dismantle the well-established Panchayati Raj system which has been strengthened in J&K only after the sacrifices of security personnel, rural people and Panchayat members,” Sharma said.
The AJKPC leader said the Amended Bill was totally against the spirit of the 73rd Amendment of Indian Constitution for which they had been fighting for the last many years.
He said the rural populace and all stakeholders would strongly oppose this proposition which would deprive them of the benefits of democratic decentralization.
“We appeal the Government to shun its ill-intention and not impose any black law on the people as it will prove suicidal for it and create anarchy in the State,” he warned.
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