The Hindu : National : Council passes Panchayati Raj Bill despite protest

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Friday, Apr 22, 2005

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National

Council passes Panchayati Raj Bill despite protest

Staff Reporter

J&K Opposition members walk out

JAMMU: Amid a walkout by the Opposition, the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Legislative Council on Thursday. The ruling coalition and the Opposition are heading for a legal showdown as the National Conference has decided to contest the Bill in court.

The Opposition has termed the Bill, which had been passed in the Legislative Assembly on Saturday, as undemocratic. The passage of the Bill paves the way for the premature dissolution of the three-year-old panchayats and holding of fresh elections. After the Opposition objected to it, the Bill was referred to a select committee under the chairmanship of the Rural Minister, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed. The committee approved the Bill without objections, further infuriating the Opposition which termed the referral as "ridiculous and open violation of the Constitution."

The passage of the Bill was the Council's main agenda. The National Conference leader and MLC, Bashir Ahmad Naz, termed the Bill "unconstitutional, illegal, and against the cardinal principles of justice." "If the Bill gets passed we will go to court to prevent the coalition Government from playing with democratic institutions."

The National Conference has submitted a memorandum to the Governor, Lt. Gen. (retd) S K Sinha, asking him to intervene in the matter. "The passage of the Bill is fraudulent and would create acute mess in the State and once again erode the faith of the common man in democracy," said Sakina Ittoo, NC leader and MLC.

Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed defended the Government's decision to dissolve the panchayats and hold fresh elections, saying the Panchayat elections held three years back were "no election." But this did not satisfy the Opposition members and the NC members walked out. The Bill, however, was passed by a voice vote when the chairman, Abdul Rashid Dar, called for a vote.

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