Won’t allow BJP-JJP leaders to enter villages from today: Sarpanch assn

Tribune News Service

Kaithal, March 6

Intensifying their protest against the ruling BJP-JJP, the Sarpanch Association of Haryana (SAH) on Monday announced that it would not allow the MPs, MLAs, and office-bearers of both parties to hold any programme in villages from March 7 till the fulfilment of their demands.

Besides, they announced to hold a state-level protest to gherao the CM’s residence in Karnal on March 11 if their demands were not met at the proposed meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on March 9.

Why sarpanches are up in arms

• Say it will delay works, which are likely to be sub-standard and increase corruption
• Works in villages have to be done fast, but e-tendering will be a lengthy process
• Most works in rural areas involve less amount due to which many agencies will refrain from taking these, causing further delay in the completion of various jobs

This was announced by the association at a state-level meeting that was organised in the city to chalk out the future strategy.

“The state government is neither paying attention to the problems in rural areas nor listening to the sarpanches, so we will not allow the BJP-JJP leaders, including MPs, MLAs, office-bearers or senior leaders to hold any programme in villages from March 7. Their entry would not be allowed in the villages,” he added.

Meeting with CM on March 9

We have a meeting with the CM on March 9 on our demands. If our demands are not met at the meeting, we will hold a state-level protest in Karnal to gherao the CM’s residence on March 11. —Ranbir Samain, president, Sarpanch ASSN

The state president, when asked about the reasons for opposing the e-tendering process, said it would not only delay works, but also the works would be sub-standard. It would also increase corruption. “The works in villages have to be done at the earliest. We cannot wait for the lengthy process of e-tendering. Most of the works in the rural areas are of less amount due to which agencies would also refrain from taking work, which will further delay the works,” he said.

He refuted the allegations that the sarpanches had spent a huge amount to win the elections and now they wanted to recover the money they had spent on elections, and said the ‘elections of the village sarpanch were of brotherhood and not much amount was spent on it’. “We want our rights given by our Constitution. The provisions of the ‘right to recall’ should be implanted on MPs and MLAs first as they are also elected representatives,” he said.

They also condemned the lathicharge on the sarpanches in Panchkula..

“Our demands include revoking the e-tendering system, removing the provision of the ‘right to recall’ on sarpanches and not making family identity cards mandatory. We have objections to online attendance in MNREGA, as it becomes difficult to mark attendance if the network is weak in any area. We are demanding that all 29 rights given to the village panchayats in the 11th Schedule of the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution should be implemented,” the state president said.

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