Early TImes Report
JAMMU, Jan 28: Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party PDP) patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayed today accused the coalition government of demolishing democratic institutions systematically. He ridiculed the claims of the government of holding panchayat elections to strengthen democracy.
Since its formation this government has systematically dismantled all institutions that matterin a democracy, he said. He was addressing a public meeting at village Marjali in Raipur Domana Assembly segment. Mufti said that establishment of Panchayati Raj and devolution of powers at the grass root level was still a distant dream in Jammu and Kashmir. "Except conducting elections this regime has done nothing to establish a vibrant Panchayati Raj system in the State like other parts of the country", he observed.
He said the Panchayati elections only to get grants which were blocked by the Centre for not conducting Panchayati elections in the State. Trickling down powers at village level to strengthen grass root democracy was never aim of this regime, he said.
"The way this government has been delaying elections of the Block Development Councils (BDCs) and District Development Councils (DDCs) is a clear indication that regime is not interested to decentralize powers".
"With a hope that local self government at grass root level would solve their day today problems, people had turned out in large number of participate in Panchayat Raj elections which were held in the year 2011", he recalled but hastened to add that all hopes of the people have been dashed to the ground.
PDP patron further pointed out that Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections, which were due in February 2010, have been delayed by the present regime thus depriving people of their democratic rights.
"People have no faith on this government because for the last three years this government has been repeatedly promising to conduct ULBs elections", he said.
Pointing towards rampant corruption in the State, he said that level of corruption in the government has reached to staggering proportions.
"If this trend remains unchecked, people will lose faith in the democracy and it will lead to chaos in the State", he cautioned. "With the support of the people, PDP wants to change the present corrupt system and to establish a new dispensation of justice and equality", he said and recalled that PDP during its regime had proved how to setup a new system of justice. Sardar Rangil Singh, Trilok Singh Bajwa, Ved Mahajan, Jagjit Singh Jagga, Thakur Suram Singh, Chaman Manyal, Parbhat Singh, Som Nath, Prithvi Raj, Bhutto Khan, Chanchal Singh, Balbir Singh, Vikram Singh and others also spoke on the occasion. |
