Reviving Panchayati Raj more urgent than boosting LS strength: Congress
Rahul Gandhi says Panchayati Raj system has been a “golden opportunity” for women’s leadership and participation in politics
The Congress on Friday said reviving the Panchayati Raj system is far more urgent than increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha, accusing the government of prioritising measures aimed at “personal political survival” over strengthening grassroots democracy.
Marking National Panchayati Raj Day, Congress leaders highlighted the role of local self-governance in deepening democracy and empowering women. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said Panchayati Raj institutions form the “strong foundation of our democracy” and reiterated the party’s commitment to strengthening the spirit of Gram Swaraj.
“The Congress Party is fully committed to strengthening the spirit of Gram Swaraj,” Kharge said in a post on X, while extending greetings to village heads and members of panchayats and local bodies across the country.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Panchayati Raj system has been a “golden opportunity” for women’s leadership and participation in politics. “Panchayati Raj has also been an important medium for women’s empowerment,” he said, noting that the 73rd Constitutional Amendment ensured at least 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, which has been increased to 50 per cent in several states.
Gandhi said the Congress-led initiative has resulted in “nearly 14–15 lakh elected women representatives” participating actively in Panchayati Raj institutions — one of the largest examples of women’s democratic participation globally.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh underlined that 24 April marks the enactment of the 73rd Amendment in 1993, which introduced Articles 243-A to 243-O in the Constitution to empower panchayats. He said India today has around 2.6 lakh gram panchayats, over 6,700 intermediate panchayats, and 673 zilla parishads.
Calling it a “transformational initiative”, Ramesh credited former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for pushing the reform, including reserving one-third of seats for women, with provisions for SC and ST women. “It was entirely his contribution that today there are around 32 lakh elected representatives in Panchayati Raj institutions, of whom about 15 lakh are women,” he said.
Ramesh also noted that the Congress-led government under Manmohan Singh created the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in 2004 and launched MGNREGA in 2006, giving gram panchayats a key role in planning and execution.
He criticised the current government, saying, “The further revival of panchayats… is far more urgent than simply increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to ensure personal political survival.”
Kharge, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, said, “Panchayati Raj represents the true spirit of democracy,” adding that “the real strength of India resides in its villages”, and empowering them is key to national progress.
Congress leaders reiterated that the expansion of women’s reservation in panchayats remains one of the party’s major contributions, with millions of women now actively engaged in grassroots governance across the country.
With PTI inputs