Kamal keeps limelight on villages with mock gram sabha meet

Speaking at the event, Kamal extolled the benefits of people’s active participation in the gram sabhas and the powers vested with the Gram Panchayat. He said that such a participatory process empowers the people to effect change as opposed to electoral democracy. He outlined the role of the gram panchayats and spoke of the need to remind those in power to convene gram sabhas regularly to solve problems faced by the people.

 Since the launch of his party, Kamal has professed that the focus must be on villages. To this end he has adopted Adigathur village in Thiruvallur district with plans to adopt five more villages in the future. He has called for the creation of smart villages along with smart cities. 

 Kamal lamented that even though Tamil Nadu is home to 12,524 villages, they have been sidelined. The neglect can only be remedied by reviving institutions that strengthen grassroots democracy like the gram sabhas. 

 “The Constitution mandates that gram sabhas be convened on four days of the year - January 26, May 1, August 15 and October 2 - without fail. There can be special sessions on other days when people feel the need to solve pressing issues. The resolutions passed at the meetings must be in line in with the laws of the country and provisions of the Constitution,” he said.

 Kamal urged the people to gather in numbers at the gram sabhas that will be convened on May 1 this year and make their voices heard. He spoke about the procedures to be followed prior to the gram Sabha, such as sending a notification to people of the participating gram Panchayats seven days in advance. He added that the accounts of spending on village commons must be placed before the public at the gram sabhas to be vetted by them to ensure there is no corruption or siphoning of funds allocated to the public. 

 A mock gram Sabha was conducted by inviting members from villages. The procedures laid down by law were fol-lowed in the mock session to demonstrate to people what the gram sabhas must ideally be. In order to ensure that the process is followed at every village, the members of Makkal Needhi Maiam will meet with district Collectors and appeal to them to ensure that gram sabhas are convened. Kamal has also sent letters to Collectors urging the same. 

 The 63-year-old also mooted the idea of paying salaries to the heads of Panchayats, a practise followed in Kerala, to increase accountability. He said that politics must be seen not as a means to earn a living - but as our duty. 

 He also responded to critics that referred to him as an ant, saying that “everyone knows what an ant in the ears of an elephant is capable of!”