Bill on Panchayat Act deferred

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, MAY 19. The Centre today decided to defer the 87th Constitution Amendment Bill empowering States to choose the mode of election of chairpersons and members at the block and district panchayat levels, after an all-party meeting here failed to reach a consensus. It was decided to refer the issues raised in the proposed Bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural and Urban Development for a ``comprehensive'' legislation to strengthen grassroots bodies.

The meeting was convened by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, to evolve a consensus on the Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 1999 following a demand from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He chaired the two-and-a- half-hour meeting at the end of which it was decided to call another all-party meeting to review the situation.

Representatives from 18 parties attended the meeting. The AIDMK, the PMK and the Trinamool Congress stayed away.

An immediate fallout of the decision taken today is that the Andhra Pradesh Government, which has been stalling elections to panchayats on the basis of its proposed 87th Amendment Bill for more than a year now, will have to hold elections before July 31, the date stipulated by the Supreme Court. Other States and Union Territories which are yet to hold elections under the Panchayat Raj Act are Assam, Pondicherry, Punjab (to two tiers), Gujarat (to the gram sabha) and the newly- formed States.

``The re-establishment of genuine local self-government has helped improve governance, increased people's participation in development and strengthened our democracy. This Bill should be deferred as it affects the basic structure of Constitution with regard to local bodies,'' the Prime Minister said. The most vociferous defence of the proposed amendment came from the leader of the TDP in the Lok Sabha, Mr K. Yerran Naidu, who stated the State's stand on the issue and said it would bring about organic linkages between the three tiers. The TDP found support in the Samajwadi Party, the Akali Dal, the INLD, the DMK and the MGRADMK.

Speaking for the Congress, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyer strongly opposed the Bill and said that leaving it free to the States would bring about distortion in the uniform pattern envisaged and in the degree of democratic representation.The CPI(M), the CPI, the RSP, the NSP, the JMM, the Kerala Congress, the Biju Janata Dal and the JD(U) opposed the Bill.

The Union Minister for Rural Development, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, said most parties focussed on why devolution of power and funds to the people had not taken place and why District Planning Committee had not been set up under the 73rd and 74th Constitution amendments. And this is what the Standing Committee would go into.

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