news details |
|
|
| High turn out in LC polls welcome sign: Prof Gupta | | Stresses for empowering Panchayats, local bodies | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 5: Terming high turnout in the polling to four Legislative Council seats of the Panchayats quota as a welcome sign, former union minister and MLA, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta Wednesday stressed the need for empowering institution of democracy including Panchayats, local bodies and cooperatives.
In a statement Prof Gupta said that by ignoring militant threats and separatists, higher turnout has again established the belief that ballot is having bigger liking than even the fear of the gun.
"If there has been free flow of the Indian Constitution and the democratic process would have been allowed right from the beginning, there would have been little problems like that of secessionism and militancy as this State is faced with for many years now," he said and observed that Pakistan and other hostile elements had been deriving benefit of the follies of the "power crazy men" in authority. "There is dire need even today that the past mistakes should be rectified and the democratic institutions should be allowed to function like other parts of the country in accordance with the Constitution," he urged.
Prof Gupta asked that government owes an explanation that why the provisions of 73rd and 74th amendments of the Indian constitution are not being applied to make the Panchayats and Local bodies to make these basic democracies as empowered and why never the timely elections were held to these village and town level institutions. "If Indian money can be good and essential for developmental activities, why not the laws and other provisions which ensure democratic functioning?" he asked. The former union minister hoped that the government would fulfil the promises that they had made for empowering the basic democracies and would not drag their feet in holding the early civic elections and measures for having democratic functioning. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
