Cong MLAs against dist-wise reservation

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 14

A number of Congress legislators on Tuesday expressed reservation about a recent Cabinet decision to revert to district-wise reservation of panchayats for women and Scheduled Castes.

The issue was raised at a meeting of the Cabinet ministers, MLAs and district presidents called by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) to strategise on the coming panchayat elections. The legislators pointed out that the decision would work to their disadvantage in the panchayat elections.

In the meeting, chaired by the PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar, legislators said there was disconnect between the party and the government as they were not consulted when the decision was taken.

It was also pointed out that ever since the formation of the Congress government, regular grants had not been given to panchayats for development works.

In the meeting it was decided that the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections would be fought on the party symbol, but the sarpanches would not contest on the party symbol. Jakhar said the candidates who had contested panchayat elections from the party during 10 years of the Akali rule would be preferred this time. He said once the notification of the elections was issued, the party would constitute district-level committees to decide upon the candidates.