Mandatory voting in Karnataka panchayat poll: Ex-Speaker slams minister

Bengaluru: After the KMC Amendment Bill for dividing BBMP, it is the turn of the Panchayat Raj amendment bill to run into trouble with former Speaker and Panchayat Raj Committee chairperson Ramesh Kumar claiming none of the committee suggestions have been considered by the government for incorporation.

The Governor has sent the bill back to the government twice seeking clarifications on compulsory voting. With Ramesh Kumar, a Congress MLA, saying the committee has not suggested compulsory voting — a contentious point in the bill — a new dimension has been added to the episode.

Mr Kumar expressed his annoyance with Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister H.K. Patil for giving a wrong impression that the bill had included the recommendations of the committee headed by him.

“It is totally wrong, none of the recommendations are incorporated and we have not suggested compulsory voting. I am pained by this campaign by the minister”, Mr. Kumar said.
“We had suggested that election expenditure should be borne by the Election Commission, panchayats be given more powers by providing staff and financial assistance but these suggestions were ignored by the government”, Mr. Kumar said.

“Congress senior leader and former Union minister Manishankar Iyer had personally gone through our suggestions and praised our attempt. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi obtained a feedback about our recommendations but the state government has not given them any importance”, Mr Kumar told this newspaper

“I have explained the importance of the recommendations at the Congress legislature party meeting. Committee members visited other states and elicited the opinion of elected representatives of local bodies and panchayat members but the government ignored our effort”, Mr. Kumar added.