Farooq, L-G trade barb over security situation
Targeting the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday over recent attacks on panchayat leaders, former chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said that the not everything in the valley is “hunky-dory” emphasising that there’s still militancy.
At an official event here, organised as part of the parliamentary outreach programme for strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions, Abdullah demanded security for the panchayat leaders. He also advised Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to do his work “honestly” and cautioned that if India can’t protect its diversity, it can’t prosper. “Srinagar and Chennai are so different. But our binding factor is the resolve that we can come together to create this country,” Abdullah said.
“These panchayat members are the targets of militants and they need to be protected. Don’t live in a cuckoo world and think everything is hunky-dory. We still face militancy and God knows what will happen in future,” he said.
Responding to Abdullah’s remarks, the L-G said “I want to assure (you) that appropriate arrangements have been made for the security of panchayat leaders. The administration is committed to provide them security and will extend them all possible help to fulfil their duty.”
On Monday, several Panchayat leaders urged Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, who is on a visit to J&K, for bolstering their security.
Abdullah, however, “regretted” that his party didn’t participate in the grassroots-level elections — the panchayat elections in 2018 and the block development council polls in 2019.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who convened the program urged all democratic ins tions to “work together “improve people’s lives. “If chayati Raj is strong, we improve our governance delivery systems and cr atma-nirbhar (self-suffici villages... If democratic ins tions are strong, we can re out to the last person,” he s
“Tourists want to explore lesser-known places in J&K find national or internati markets for J&K produce, panchayat institution must form,” said Birla, adding grassroots-level institution not strong, we can’t ma strong India. People wan work. They want their areas lages to be at the top.”