A panchayat body in Jammu and Kashmir today asked BJP to pass a resolution seeking security for the Panchs and Sarpanchs in the state on the lines of the SPG security demand raised for the party's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today wrote letters to members of the BJP Parliamentary Board seeking security for the state panchayat members.
"We are hopeful that without any discrimination the BJP would pass a similar resolution seeking security for the J&K Panchayat members as is being done for seeking SPG cover for Modi," AJKPC President Anil Sharma said here today.
He said the 33,000 Panchayat members would need minimum security to work "democratically without any fear".
Till now over 6 elected Panchayat representatives have been killed by militants, and others have been threatened by terrorists to quit their posts. Yet there are no security arrangements for us, Sharma said.
He also complained that BJP had "remained silent" on the issue.
"We find it quite unfortunate and discriminatory that BJP is demanding more security for Modi but remained silent on the killings of innocent Panchs and Sarpanchs of J&K," he said.
Alleging that the party may have been "deliberately maintaining a silence", Sharma said it showed the callousness of the saffron party which always orchestrated raising of voice for the people of the J&K.
"If you can pass resolution for the security of an individual, then why (are) you keeping mum for the safety and security of 33,000 Panchs and Sarpanchs," he asked.
Sharma said he has written letters to 12 members of the BJP Parliamentary Board, including party president Rajnath Singh, Chairman of the Board, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitely, L K Advani.
All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference( AJKPC) is an amalgam organization of elected Panchayat representatives and has been spearheading the Panchayati Rights movement in the state.
Modi is set to address a rally in Jammu tomorrow.
