ITANAGAR, 24 Jan: The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Saturday felicitated all the elected INC zilla parishad members and gram panchayat members, and commended them for upholding the Congress ideology at the grassroots level.
Each elected panchayat representative was felicitated with mementos and ‘letters of appreciation’ by APCC president Bosiram Siram, on behalf of the Indian National Congress.
Addressing the gathering, AICC in-charge of Arunachal Pradesh Dr A Chellakumar said that the electoral victories of the INC leaders at the panchayat level are “a reaffirmation of public trust in the Congress party’s legacy of panchayati raj reforms and people-centric welfare programmes.”
Dr Chellakumar also underscored the importance of the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram, demanding the restoration of MGNREGA “to its original, legal and operational form.” He urged the APCC to expand the movement to the western belt of Arunachal to ensure that rural voices are heard across the state.
AICC in-charge of Arunachal Mathew Antony commended all the newly elected PRI leaders for their determination and courage to fight and win elections.
Former chief minister Nabam Tuki, who is also a former APCC president, also spoke on the occasion.
Siram in his address said that panchayati raj representatives are the backbone of the Congress movement, and that “the battle to protect MGNREGA and rural constitutional rights will continue without compromise.”
Siram also criticised the BJP “for weakening panchayati raj institutions, withholding funds, delaying wage payments, and reducing the autonomy of village-level bodies,” terming the BJP’s actions “structural attacks that have crippled the functioning of MGNREGA across the country.”
Following the felicitation, Dr Chellakumar and Antony reiterated the Congress party’s commitment towards rural empowerment, grassroots democracy, and fight against the BJP’s “anti-poor restructuring of welfare schemes,” during a press briefing, said APCC spokesperson Kon Jirjo Jotham in a release.
