Congress could not understand importance of Panchayati Raj system: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that Jammu and Kashmir is the biggest example where democracy has been established at the ground level after 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370. Taking a dig at the Congress, Prime Minister Modi said for over four decades after the country's independence, there were no efforts to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions in the country.

Addressing a two-day regional Panchayati Raj council held in Haryana, PM Modi said, "For four decades after independence, the Congress did not understand that how necessary it is to implement the Panchayati Raj system in the villages. The District Panchayat system that was formed after this, it was left to its own fate during the Congress rule." "During the Congress regime, no concrete efforts were taken to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system. Maximum work remained limited to figures and documents. Jammu and Kashmir is the biggest example. In the year 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370 for the first time Gram panchayat and district level elections took place in which over 33,000 local public representatives have been elected. For the first time democracy got established there on ground level," he said.

The Prime Minister further said that after 2014, the BJP government has worked a lot to strengthen Panchayati Raj and local Swaraj and for Panchayati Raj bodies a provision of over Rs 2 lakh crore had been made which is three times in compression to the last government. The Prime Minister also urged party workers to take the benefits of the Panchayati Raj system to the last person standing in the last line of society.

"As a representative of BJP, you have to take the benefits of the Panchayati Raj system to the last person standing in the last line of society. I would request all of you that you should go and stay at some small place in your area for two nights a week and sit with the people there".