Says 90% people keen to participate in panchayat polls
Blaming Pakistan for the unrest in Jammu & Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday claimed that 90 per cent people in the State would like to participate in the panchayat and urban local body polls scheduled this month.
“I do agree that the situation in Jammu & Kashmir should improve. But, the problem that we face is mostly because of Pakistan. We have always tried to improve relations with Pakistan. But the country will not mend its ways. It continues to sponsor terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir,” he said speaking at the HT Leadership Summit here.
Referring to the forthcoming elections to the panchayat and urban local bodies in Jammu & Kashmir, the Home Minister said 90 per cent people of the State would like to get involve in the poll process, which the current Government has started after a long break. When asked about the several BJP candidates getting elected to the local bodies unopposed, Singh said in the recently held panchayat elections in West Bengal, 43 per cent candidates won uncontested and such things are not uncommon.
Talking about the now-snapped BJP-PDP alliance, he said both the parties had joined hands, honouring the mandate of the last State Assembly elections, but the “experiment did not succeed”. Singh said naxalism was the biggest challenge the nation was facing till a few years ago, but the menace has been contained to a great extent now. “Naxalism was spread in 126 districts and it has come down to just 50-52 districts now, and among them the worst hit is just 10 to 12 districts,” he said.