Gear up for larger participation of people in Panchayat polls : Mir to cadre

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Sunday asked the party cadre to gear up for larger participation of people in the Panchayat polls.
Chairing a meeting of PCC Executive here, Mr Mir discussed the Organisational preparations for the forth coming Panchayat elections in the State.
He asked the party leaders to activate their cadres in their areas to gear up for the elections to ensure the greater participation of the people.
Although the government has weakened the Panchayat Raj System by the retrograde amendment in the Act whereby the direct elections to Sarpanchs has been replaced by in-direct elections through Panchs.
“The people will be deprived to vote and elect directly the persons of their choice, as Sarpanchs,” he said adding that the PDP-BJP coalition stands exposed on their commitments to ensure empowerment of panchayats at par with 73rd amendment which was incorporated by the previous Government.
The Congress party has always struggled for empowerment of grass root institutions to strengthen democracy in the State, he added.
It was also decided in the meeting to hold series of conventions in different parts of Jammu province in the coming days including a mega convention at Jammu on January 24 of this month to mobilise the cadres to expose the total failure of the present Govt on all fronts and the opportunist stand of the two coalition partners in the state.