The Congress will not accept indirect election for sarpanches being proposed by the Government as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao wants to encourage horse-trading and help only the rich get elected as sarpanches, said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Reddy said indirect elections would help rich leaders to lure majority of ward members with money and influence them.
“The Chief Minister has encouraged defection of MLAs and he wants to adopt the same method in panchayat elections,” he said. Demanding an all-party meeting on the issue, he said any changes in law should be the collective decision and only one individual or a family was not entitled to meddle with the law as per their will. He said Panchayat Raj Act was enacted to empower local bodies and encourage village-level leadership for a strong democracy.
Mr. Reddy also opposed the idea of advancing panchayat elections when the present term ends in August this year. Unveiling the action plan on the issue, the TPCC chief said meetings would be conducted in all villages on January 23 and in all rural assembly constituencies on January 27 followed by submission of memoranda to RDOs concerned.
He said representations would be made to the district collectors on January 30 against the proposed amendments in Panchyat Raj Act.
The meeting was attended by senior leaders K. Jana Reddy, Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, V. Hanumantha Rao, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, G. Chinna Reddy, T. Jeevan Reddy, Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy apart from TPCC office bears, DCC presidents and chairmen of frontal organisations.
