Cooperative movement dying a slow death

“Hold Panchayat Election in months: High Court to A.P." (THI, Oct 24). This is not the first time that the Judiciary have had to interfere to conduct elections to the Local Bodies. When the Colonial India was under the British Imperialism, known as Local Self Government, Municipal and Panchayat Raj departments and Co-operatives were the two institutions which democratically served the country. Particularly the marginalised classes. Many socially conscious, who did not like the participate in the Freedom Struggle, led by the Indian National Congress had involved themselves in these two systems. Elections to these bodies were being regularly held and the elected bodies functioned with transparency.

Almost all the stalwarts of the National Movement had their political baptism in these institutions; big or small Malaviya, Nehru, Patel, Chittaranjan Das, Bose, Rajaji, Kamaraj, Prakasam, were members and later the heads of the Municipal Councils and Corporations. Rural areas were under Village Panchyats, Taluka Development Boards and District Boards. In Andhra Bhogaraju Pattabhi Seetharamayya was a doyen of Co-operative Movement and N.G.Ranga promoted and encouraged producers and purchasers Co-operative Societies among the farmers. Voting right to Local bodies was confined to the privileged classes and members of the Co-operative Societies exercised franchise.

After the dawn of Independence, the Co-operative Movement was administered slow poison. Only their skeleton remain. However the process continued in the Local bodies with renewed vigour of Universal Adult Franchise. To strengthen the administration at the grass root level, with the S,K.Dey as the Union Minister for Panchayat Raj, Nehru introduced Panchayat Raj in 1959.

Andhra Pradesh, with Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy as the Chief Minister was the First State to introduce it in toto. Till 1967 elections were regularly held and when bodies' terms ended in 1972, Special Officers' Regime was introduced. However, the simpleton Chief Minister T. Anjaiah's earliest act as Chief Minister was to conduct elections to the Panchayati Raj bodies and Municipalities in 1981. For the first time the Sarpaches of the Gram Panchayats and Presidents of Panchayat Samitis were elected directly by electorate. It was also in his term that the age of voting was reduced from 21 to 18. Anjaiah received much appreciation for this bold step. Till then it was party less democracy. All those elected embraced the ruling party.

Ramakrishna Hegde in Karnataka introduced novelty in the local bodies set up and conducted elections in 1984. There the calendar of events of continue as per schedule. Taking a cue from Karnataka, with local variations, risking the electoral defeat N.T.Rama Rao conducted the elections in 1987 to both the Municipalities and Panchayat Raj. All the heads of the bodies, Village Panchayat, Mandal Praja Parisad, Zilla Parishad and Municipalities were directly elected and for the first time on party basis.