PANJIM: The Congress on Sunday accused the BJP government of making a mockery of democracy. He was referring to the way the Panchayat elections were being conducted purely to serve its political interest and not that of the people.
“The manipulations done by CM Manohar Parrikar and his coalition partners during delimitation is nothing but setting an example before the younger generation that politics means only manipulation and autocracy; neither providing level playing field nor a real democracy,” alleged AICC Secretary Girish Chodankar.
He also pointed out that the Goa government has brazenly violated the Goa Panchayati Raj Act when Article 243K specifically gives powers to delimit and reserve the wards to the Goa State Election Commission; not the state government. He also observed that Goa State Election Commission has filed an affidavit in the High Court in Mango Foundation case, clearly stating that it is the constitutionally empowered authority to delimit and reserve wards while government is illegally taking over these constitutionally defined powers.
People have reacted sharply to the delimitation manipulations even by threatening to boycott the elections since there are blunders created of dividing the voters of the same locality and even of the same family in two different wards. These are not human errors but deliberate moves made to benefit certain candidates of the ruling parties.
In a similar manner, alleged Chodankar that the BJP-led government has reserved wards to qualify or disqualify certain candidates irrespective of presence of reserved category voters in the locality.
