BJP under fire for its ‘dubious’ role in strengthening Panchayati Raj

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 19

A day after the BJP advocated the extension of the 73th and 74th Amendments of the Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir, opponents on Thursday targeted the saffron partyfor its “dubious” role in strengthening the democracy at the grassroots level.

While Raman Bhalla, former minister and senior Congress leader, charged the previous PDP-BJP government with bulldozing the democratic institutions at grassroots, Harsh Dev Singh, Panthers Party chairman, reminded the saffron party of the “highly controversial” J&K Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill passed by the then state government on July 2, 2016, to demolish the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) in J&K.

“The BJP has no right to demand the extension of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to J&K because this party had brazenly connived with the PDP to dismantle the panchayats in the state,” Harsh Dev said, maintaining, “The highly controversial Bill to discredit the panchayats was passed with an active support of the BJP.”

Reacting to BJP’s demand to extend the 73rd Amendment to J&K, he said, “It is yet another ludicrous chapter in the theatrical performance of the saffron brigade.”

Opponents have reasons to target the BJP on the issue as the saffron party had supported the PDP to amend the J&K Panchayat Raj Act to allow indirect election of sarpanches.

After passing of the Bill, the Congress had launched an agitation. Despite the agitation by panchayat members and opposition parties, the previous PDP-BJP had refused to allow direct elections of sarpanches in J&K.

It was only after the breakup of the PDP-BJP alliance on June 19 that the State Administrative Council, at its meeting on July 12, under the chairmanship of then Governor NN Vohra, had approved the proposal to amend the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, for conducting the elections of sarpanches directly.

“Saffron party leaders have no moral authority to demand the extension of the 73rd Amendment in J&K because this party had killed the basic spirit of this amendment by supporting the PDP’s move of indirect elections of sarpanches,” said Bhalla.

Ravinder Raina, BJP state president, while addressing a press conference at Jammu on Wednesday, had demanded extension of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to J&K

Previous amendments 

• July 2, 2016: Amid protests by the Opposition, the J&K Legislature had passed an amendment to the state Panchayati Raj Act, allowing indirect election of sarpanches by panches
• July 25: Then Governor NN Vohra had returned the Bill with certain queries
• December 19: Vohra gave his assent to the Bill called the J&K Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2016
• February 9, 2018: National Conference and Congress legislators moved Private Members’ Bill, seeking amendment to the Panchayati Raj Act. They sought withdrawal of the amendment that mandated indirect poll of sarpanches
• July 12: The state government approved the proposal to amend the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, for the direct election of sarpanches