Banguluru: With the decision of transferring central funding for development of the village directly into the accounts of the respective village panchayats, the chances of the continuance of Taluk Panchayat system has become bleak. Opposition parties in the state legislature, especially, the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have raised its concerns over the issue.
The Congress party leaders headed by former Chief Minister S. Siddaramaiah pointed out that this move of the government will spur re-centralising the political power either in the hands of the Zilla Panchayat or the MLA. They both will become either overburdened or tyrants in their own rights.
The Congress leaders in the state say that the 73rd amendment to the Indian constitution that speaks about the decentralisation of power at the grassroots level had not been amended. “How can such a move of decommissioning the taluk panchayat system can be done without an amendment of the constitution, is not that an anti-constitutional move?” asked U. T Khader MLA from Mangalore. “This was a unilateral decision and can harm the interests of the grassroots level democratic process,” the Congress leaders said.
In Kerala state, all the four arms of panchayat raj including village, Mandal, taluk and Zilla panchayats were functioning. It is said in hushed tones that the government wanted to end the Taluk panchayat system in order to minimise certain grassroots level political leaders. Village panchayats will have one hurdle less in planning local development.