The intent of the BJP to hold the forthcoming Zilla Panchayat elections on party lines without giving any administrative and financial powers to these grass root bodies is deplorable and disgusting. For the past many years, elected representatives of these grass root bodies are demanding powers as enshrined in the constitutional amendments, but every successive government has failed to keep the promise of devolving powers for fear of losing powers of the MLAs.
These bodies without any powers and finances are an unwarranted burden on the state exchequer. If at all the constitution mandates every government to have these bodies than it is also mandatory for the government to devolve necessary powers these bodies are entitled to as per Constitution. It makes no sense to conduct these election if there is no intention to devolve powers.
The decision of BJP to hold ZP polls on party lines smacks of a conspiracy to fulfill their hidden agenda. It is in the interest of the BJP, that it plans to divide the Goan electorate further on party lines to fulfill the agenda of the RSS and their frontal organizations.
As far as Goa is concerned in spite of an absolute majority given to BJP in both the Assembly and Parliamentary elections, they have failed to impress the electorate by delivering on issues they had promised. Goans cannot feel any difference between the Congress and BJP regimes on issues which are dear to every Goan heart and for which they tirelessly worked to bring the required change.
Further, without enacting anti-deflection laws in place in the Panchayat Raj Act the whole exercise can be clandestinely used and manipulated to benefit only the ruling party to suit their personal agenda while distributing development funds and therefore the ZP / Panchayat elections on party lines should never be accepted.
