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| No Sarpanch, Panch resigned in J&K; just 40 submitted plain incomplete applications | | Much ado about nothing! | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Nov 23: No Sarpanch has resigned from any of the 4128 Panchayats spread across 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Rural Development Department (RDD) has confirmed to Early Times that despite receiving death threats from terrorist owing affiliation to Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terror outfit including its chief Syed Salahuddin, no Sarpanch or Panch has resigned from the Panchayats. Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammed Sagar while confirming this said "Around 40 Sarpanches had come forward with resignations but due to some technical issues, their resignations were not accepted."
He added that these 40 Sarpanches had been asked to complete certain modalities so that their resignations are accepted. "They did not complete the formalities and hence, the process remained incomplete. So, no Sarpanch has resigned from any of the Panchayats," Sagar added. He maintained that the process of resignation which an elected Panch or Sarpanch has to follow is not as simple as has been speculated in the media.
"An application on a plain paper is of no significance," added Director Rural Development Kashmir Mir Altaf Ahmed. He too said that 40 people had come forward with resignations on plain paper. "Since they did not complete the formalities, their resignations have not been accepted," said Mir. He clarified that they have a right to vote in the upcoming MLC elections.
"They would be voting in this election for MLCs from the Panchayats," said Mir. Regarding the newspaper reports which repeatedly claimed of resignation by more than 500 Sarpanches, Mir said that his office did not receive these many number of resignations. "I told you, we received just 40 incomplete resignations. They are still lying with us but owing to deficiencies, we could not consider them. Even they who had submitted these never returned to complete the process," said Mir.
Director Rural Development (DRD) Jammu Shafiq Ahmed Raina said that his office received no resignation. It needs to be mentioned here that there were reports of around 500 Sarpanches and Panches having resigned due to persistent death threats being received by them from various terror outfits. Self-styled Chairman of United Jihad Council (UJC) Syed Salahuddin had in an interview with Tehelka threatened to target Panches and Sarpanches.
Following his threat, there were reports of mass resignations by Panchayat members. The Panches and Sarpanches, mostly hailing from north Kashmir's Baramulla district, had announced their resignations through paid advertisements in local dailies. This was after 10 Panchayat members were killed by terrorists in various parts of Kashmir valley. However, when the elections for the four seats of legislative council from the quota of Panchayats were announced, nothing was heard about Panchayat members who had claimed to have resigned.
Since the Rural Development Department (RDD) has claimed of no Panchayat member having resigned, a total of 33,540 Sarpanches and Panches comprise Electoral College for four seats to the Legislative Council in December 3 election. The 15,628 Sarpanches and Panches would vote for two candidates in Jammu division, similarly 17,912 Panchayat members would press buttons of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Kashmir division for an equal number of candidates in two council seats in Kashmir.
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