Congress questions change of women reservation roaster for DDC Chairpersons

17/01/2021

JAMMU, Jan 16: Taking strong exception to the change of roaster of Reservation for women for the offices of DDC Chair-persons, through a recent order of 11th January 2021, contrary to the existing roaster already prescribed in the order of 24th Oct. 2020, JKPCC has termed it an attempt to defeat and distort the mandate of the people and manipulate the results to the undue advantage of few blue eyed and to the disadvantage of various other eligible candidates for DDC Chairpersons.
The party also strongly advocated introduction of Anti Defection norms and the system of open voting, to check horse-trading in the upcoming elections to the DDC Chairpersons.
Addressing a press conference, J&K PCC Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma along with General Secretary PCC Th. Manmo-han Singh and newly elected DDC members Shabir Ahmed Khan (E-Minister Rajouri) and District President Poonch Ch. Abdul Gani (DDC Member Poonch) questioned the change of settled norms and existing rule of reservation for women & SC/ST by a recent order SO 13 dated 11t Jan. 2021 which is contrary to the existing roaster prescribed for the offices of DDC Chairpersons in the SO 330 dated 24t Oct. 20220. The recent order prescribed the roaster of 3, 6,9,12 to be reserved for women while the earlier order prescribed 1,4, 7, 10 and so on in the alphabetical order for chairpersons to be reserved for women. The earlier order has also not been superseded, as the new SO 13 is also contrary to all past norms and practices of women reservation roaster of 1, 4, 7, 10 etc. for panch, sarpanch, chairpersons of BDCs and DDC members itself besides all Municipal bodies in the past.
Mr. Sharma said that the recent order is totally illegal and arbitrary and unconstitutional as the administrative Secretary has exceeded the powers vested in law and had no authority to legislate in the wake of existing provision in the Act. Even the earlier order SO-330 of Oct 24, 2020 has not been over ruled or discussed in the later order, as such unsustainable and reflection of the kind of working. The said order is clear violation of the law contrary to all norms, past precedents and principles of fairness in the system.
He questioned when the formula of roaster of reservation had already been prescribed and notified in the SO 330 of 24 Oct 2020 for DDC members & DDC Chairpersons for the women as well as SCs/ST, why the same is sought to be changed now, after the results when the eligible candidates are known. This clearly demonstrate and attempt to defeat and distort the mandate of the people and to give undue advantage to few and disadvantage to many others at the whims of the bureaucratic system. Let anybody irrespective of party affiliation get elected to the chairperson of DDCs, as per the provisions of law, without any undue interference, in a fair & transparent manner, he said, apprehending distortion of the norms and the spirit of the 73rd amendment in the case of reservation of districts for the SC & STs.

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