Hold all-party meet on Panchayat Raj Bill: Congress to govt

Hyderabad: Deputy leader of Congress in the Legislative Council Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy on Tuesday demanded that the government hold an all-party meet on the proposed new Panchayat Raj Bill.

Speaking to the media, he said the government appointed cabinet sub-committee, on the proposed Bill, should take the opinions of all the stakeholders of Panchayat Raj (PR) sector.

He alleged that the government had been behaving unilaterally in taking decisions in the policy- related matters and cabinet sub-committee on Panchayat Raj Bill was also behaving in the same manner. He said the policy-making was not an exclusive domain of the ruling party.

Sudhakar Reddy said the Congress would fight against the PR Bill if it is against the spirit of 73 and 74 amendments of the Constitution, which gave powers to the local bodies. He said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi brought these amendments to bring Gram Swarajya in the country.

The MLC said if the elections to the sarpanch posts were held in an indirect method then it would lead to unrest in the villages. Camp politics and horse-trading would take place leading to group rivalry in the villages. The government should follow the PR Act being implemented in Karnataka.