Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 4 : Himachal Minister of Horticulture, Jagat Singh Negi, on Thursday congratulated all newly elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and urged them to work collectively for the development of their villages, while accusing the BJP of attempting to politicise non-party-based local body elections.
Addressing mediapersons in Shimla, Negi said the Panchayati Raj elections reflected the strength of democracy, where people from different ideologies, age groups and backgrounds were given an opportunity to participate.
"On behalf of the state government and personally, I congratulate all those elected to the Panchayati Raj institutions. These elections have traditionally been kept above party lines, providing equal opportunities to youth, senior citizens and people from all walks of life to contribute towards grassroots development," he said.
The minister urged newly elected representatives to focus on village development and also raise concerns regarding what he termed the weakening of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Negi alleged that changes introduced by the Central government had diluted the scheme and reduced its effectiveness as a development tool for rural areas. He said elected Panchayat representatives would face challenges in fulfilling developmental commitments if rural employment and development programmes continued to be weakened.
Taking exception to the raising of "Jai Shri Ram" slogans in the context of Panchayat election victories, Negi said local body elections were contests between candidates and not religious exercises.
"These elections were fought between individuals. Victory should be celebrated in the spirit of democracy and public mandate. Bringing religious slogans into democratic contests is inappropriate and can undermine the democratic character of elections," he said.
Responding to BJP leaders describing the Panchayat elections as a "semi-final" ahead of future electoral battles, Negi dismissed the comparison as politically motivated and misleading.
"These were not party-based elections. How can such elections be termed a semi-final? Municipal Corporation elections are fought on party lines, but Panchayat polls are open contests involving independent candidates and individuals from diverse backgrounds. BJP is merely trying to console itself and mislead the public through such statements," he remarked.
The minister also rejected BJP demands seeking accountability from the Congress government over the election outcome and countered by referring to the by-elections held after the disqualification of legislators during the political crisis in the state.
Negi said that if electoral performance was to be the benchmark, then BJP leaders should first explain the outcome of those Assembly by-elections, in which Congress secured victories despite attempts to destabilise the elected government.
Referring to reports of certain groups allegedly collecting so-called "Khalsa tax" from vehicles near the Punjab-Himachal border, Negi said such incidents should not be unnecessarily sensationalised but stressed that no private individual or organisation had the authority to impose taxes.
"Taxation is the exclusive domain of governments. If anyone attempts to collect money illegally, it is wrong, and action should be taken under the law. At the same time, isolated incidents should not be used to create unnecessary tensions between states," he said.
The minister noted that similar taxation systems had existed under previous governments and accused the BJP of selectively objecting only when the Congress was in power.
He said the matter had already been taken up at the highest level, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu discussing the issue with the Punjab government. Appropriate legal action, he added, would be taken wherever required.
Negi further alleged that the BJP was attempting to divert attention from pressing national and public issues by raising politically charged narratives around local elections and border-related incidents.