Srinagar:
Rahul Gandhi faced protests, slogans and open resentment at a meeting with panchayat members in Srinagar today. He was meeting them after terrorists attacked and killed some sarpanches (panchayat heads) recently.
The sarpanches, who were in in Srinagar, were mostly from the Congress party. They had gathered to meet Mr Gandhi after he had told a representation of sarpanches in Delhi and promised to hear them out.
But in the meeting, the panchayat members were unhappy with the Congress general secretary. They said that Mr Gandhi spoke to them about more empowerment for the panchayat, but didn't commit to changes in the Panchayat Act that would allow this. He said, "I am nobody to make the changes and amendments, it is for the people of Kashmir to decide."
This angered some of the panchayat members, who raised slogans in protest. Some of those who were in the meeting said that though Mr Gandhi had promised in Delhi that all issues would be discussed, very few actually were.
The killing of sarpanches in Kashmir sparked off the exchange of some sharp words between the Congress and ally National Congress. Mr Gandhi has demanded that sarpanches be given more protection and monetary compensation. The National Conference-led government in the state has said it will do all it can.