Southern States - Karnataka   

MLAs' plea on grants rejected

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore March 26. A demand by members from both sides of the House that they be made eligible for separate grants as ex-officio members of zilla panchayats, was rejected in the Legislative Assembly today by the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, M.Y.Ghorpade, who said there was no provision under the rules for it.

The minister, who was unmoved by the repeated demands, even declined to accept a suggestion made by the Speaker, M.V.Venkatappa, to convene a meeting of members to know their problem, observing: "What powers do I have to convene a meeting on the issue?"

At one stage, when the Chair repeated the suggestion to convene a meeting, Mr. Ghorpade went to the extent of declaring that as long as he was minister he could not act against the principle of panchayat raj law. Even if a meeting was convened, he could not go against the law. None of Mr. Ghorpade's colleagues came to his rescue at any stage.

The matter came up during supplementaries on the question tabled by M.S.Atmananda (Congress) who was informed by Mr. Ghorpade that grants to zilla panchayats were released from time to time as per the approved action plan and there was no provision for allotment of grants to MLAs who were ex-officio members of zilla panchayats.

The reason for making MLAs ex-officio members was to utilise their experience and no grants could be given to them directly. The intention to amend the Constitution to decentralise power was to ensure that the functions of panchayat raj bodies were performed by their elected members. There was no need for the amendment if all the functions were to be discharged by MPs and MLAs. A complaint of members of panchayat raj institutions was that MPs and MLAs interfered in their work, Mr. Ghorpade said.

When members wondered why they should be members of the zilla panchayats at all in that event, Mr. Venkatappa joined them saying there was no meaning in making MLAs members as they had no powers even to sanction a pin, and asked the minister to convene a meeting in his (Speaker) chambers to discuss the issue.

Mr. Ghorpade, however, reacted by way of making a reference to the observations of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, who had posed the question whether there was a need for a person to become an MP or MLA if he only discharged the functions of a municipality or panchayat raj member.

The reply by Mr. Ghorpade provoked some members to enter the well of the House, but they withdrew after the Speaker remarked that there was no meaning in the minister not convening a meeting and assured that he would ensure that a meeting was convened.

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