KL Desk
Jammu
Ridiculing National Conference led coalition regime for taking claim of holding Panchayat elections in the state, patron of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Monday said that democratic institutions of the state have become first causality of the wrong policies being propagated by the present dispensation during the last four years. He said that since its formation this government has systematically dismantled all institutions that matter in a democracy.
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 and maintained that this regime had conducted 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, adding, “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 2011”, he recalled but hastened to add that all hopes of the people have been dashed because this regime has deliberately sabotaged establishment of the vibrant Panchayati Raj system in the State through its tactics.
“Instead of promoting and consolidating representative democracy in the state, this government has been proved as authoritarian regime through its misdeeds,” he added.
Mufti 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 and added that during the last four years Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing deliberate and overt attempt to irrevocably subvert democratic institutions. “Those who are the helm of the affairs want to control and contain the powers with themselves to brutally exploit this power to accomplish their petty personal agendas”, he said.
Pointed toward 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.
Assuring the people that PDP has already launched a campaign to establish a new corruption free system of justice and equality, Mufti said that he has been addressing public meetings in different areas of the state to spread the message of the party to change the present inefficient and corrupt system. “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.
