Terming the dissolution of panchayats in the state “unconstitutional”, Punjab’s Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Punjab government of aiming for petty political benefits by putting democratic values at stake. Bajwa, a senior Congress leader, said that the rights of 1,00,312 elected representatives, including 41,922 women, have been compromised due to these decisions.
The dissolution of Gram Panchayats without a clear public interest rationale, Bajwa said, jeopardises the representation and voice of citizens at the grassroots. The rights of the sarpanches have been “forcibly stripped away” he added. “It is perplexing that the dates for Panchayat elections have been announced so much in advance. While the importance of timely elections cannot be overstated, it is equally vital to ensure that due process is followed, and the sanctity of the electoral process is maintained. Even for parliamentary elections, the Election Commission of India typically requires only 45 days to adequately prepare and conduct the elections. But in this particular case, the panchayats were dissolved six months in advance”, he said.
In a statement, Bajwa said that there is a “concerning link” between the opening utilisation certificates (UC) and the dissolution of Gram Panchayats, portraying a troubling scenario of undue influence. “The Gram Panchayats have not yet compensated the underprivileged labourers involved in the development projects, adding a hurdle to the completion of measurement books (MBs) by the Junior Engineers.” Bajwa, who is also a legislator from Qadian city, said that the people of Punjab have not yet emerged from the trauma of floods. “They are still struggling hard to get roofs over their heads. They have not yet cleared their fields to sow the next crops. They have not been provided with adequate compensation for the loss. And the AAP government has been imposing elections. Will they be able to actively participate in the elections?” He said that the AAP vowed to provide relief to the farmers of flood-affected areas at least Rs 20,000 per acre, but the farmers were getting less than Rs 6,000 per acre. “Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann earmarked a budget of Rs 750 crore for his publicity, yet he designated a meagre amount for the flood victims. Meanwhile, I wonder, where [Mann] would get the funds for the panchayat elections from”, Bajwa quipped.