Stung by govt attitude, sarpanches set to file mass nominations today

Hyderabad: Protesting the attitude of the government towards them, the sarpanches of the State would file mass nominations in Huzurnagar bypoll on Monday.

As many as 251 sarpanches have decided to file the nominations papers for the bypoll. They have been trying to escape the arrests to file their nominations papers on Monday.

Telangana Sarpanches Forum vice president G Balwanth Reddy told The Hans India that they would file the nomination papers in spite of police repression. He said that the police have been trying to arrest them. He said that their founder president Bhumanna Yadav was already arrested.

The sarpanches have been trying to reach Huzurnagar anyway to file the nominations. He said that there would be enough time for them to file the nomination papers on September 30, last day for filing nominations.

Balwanth Reddy said that they have been protesting the attitude of the government towards sarpanches on various counts. He said that they have been protesting joint cheque power to sarpanch and upa-sarpanch, fixing responsibility of the success of 30 day action plan only on the sarpanches and for not releasing funds.

The issue of sarpanches is the joint cheque power to sarpanch and the upa-sarpanch. They have been alleging that the joint cheque power along with upa-sarpanch has been leading to fights in the villages.

"How a sarpanch would be forced to share the joint cheque power with a ward member who was elected with two or three hundred votes? What value is given to the sarpanch?" asked a GP president.

The sarpanches have also been alleging high handedness of the government in implementing the 30 day action plan. They alleged that the sarpanches have been made sole responsible persons for the failure of the action plan.

They alleged that no funds have been given by the State government. They have been spending money from their pockets to implement the programme.

The funds being given by the Fourteenth Finance Commission are not being released properly. Even the funds being given through the National Employment Guarantee Scheme have been diverted.

They have been demanding direct release of NREG funds to the Gram Panchayats.

If the sarpanches file mass nominations in the Huzurnagar bypoll it would lead to a situation which has taken place in Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat during the Parliament elections.

The farmers have filed mass nominations in the Nizamabad LS seat in Parliament elections. In the election, TRS candidate and daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao K Kavitha lost the poll.

The mass nominations may also lead to use of ballot papers in the Huzurnagar by-poll. Congress leaders feel that use of ballot paper would prevent the ruling TRS from tampering with the EVMs.