Jammu Tawi, July 5: National Conference on Tuesday described amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Raj Act 1989 as direct assault on democratic ethos of the State, saying the people at grass-roots level were feeling deprived and disempowered.
Devender Singh Rana said at a high level meeting of the provincial and district functionaries of the party of the Jammu Province at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here this afternoon.
He assailed the PDP-BJP combine for bulldozing saner opposition voice at numeric strength in the Legislative Assembly and said the time-tested and country-wide acclaimed J&K PRC Act has fallen victim to vested interest, as the ruling alliance believes in ‘manipulating' the elections of Sarpanchs due to lack of support at ground zero.
Ajay Kumar Sadhotra reminded of the glorious ethos of National Conference and firm belief of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah in the unity in diversity of the State.
“The State is passing through a most difficult stage, as the people are suffering for minimum basics like power, drinking water and rations”, he said adding that the farming community has been the worse sufferer as pumps for irrigational purposes stand defunct due to lack of maintenance and inadequate power supply.
Former minister and Chairman NC SC/OBC Cell Babu Ram Pal said that legacy of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah was the only way-out to meet the crisis like situation generated by PDP-BJP alliance in the State.
