Jammu, May 19 (Scoop News) – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Core Group in a meeting today reiterated the party’s stand for immeidate implementation of 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Indian constitution to ensure complete empowerment of local bodies on the pattern of the other states in the country. The meeting was attended by State President Shamsher Singh Manhas, State General Secretary (Org.) Ashok Koul, Former State President & Senior BJP leader Daya Krishan Kotwal, National Executive Member & Chief Whip Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore Sharma (MLA), Chief Spokesperson & National Executive Member Dr. Jitendra Singh, State Vice-president Chander Prakash Ganga and State General Secretaries Satish Sharma and Sat Sharma (C.A).
Shamsher Singh Manhas informed the Core Group about the various programmes and meetings conducted during the past few weeks to activate the party cadre and reach out to the masses to expose the NC-Congress coalition government over a number of issues, particularly empowerment of panchayats. He also referred to hollow claims of the coalition government to work for strengthening democracy in the state.
Briefing about the meeting, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the entire core group expressed its displeasure at the NC-Congress coalition government’s indifference to the BJP’s consistent demand for 73rd & 74th Amendments and said that without implementation of these amendments the elections to panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will not be able to achieve their desired objective. Ruling out any bycott of the elections, he said that the core group was of the opinion that the participation in election is essential in the interest of democratic norms but the party will continue to fight for genuine empowerment of local bodies.
The core group also noted that the party’s sustained campaign for 73rd & 74th amendments had motivated the panches and sarpanches across the state, including Kashmir valley to come out on streets. It is a sign of party’s successful awarness drive among the panches and sarpanches about the implications of not implementing 73rd & 74th amendments, added Dr. Jitendra Singh and said that the NC leadership cannot get away by saying that it had allocated rupees 40 lakhs to the panchayats because the Central grant due to be received by the NC-Congress government in the name of local bodies amounted to more than 350 crore. State BJP is also educating its workers and members about the issue during the ongoing Prashikshan Vargs (Training Camps) currently being held at mandal level in all the districts.
The Core Group also discussed the issue of elections to the four seats of legislative council to be filled by representatives of panchayats.
Shamsher Singh Manhas informed the Core Group about the decision to nominate Advocate Kuldeep and Hari Krishan as Mandal presidents of Katra and Paddar mandals respectively.
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