Demanding the cabinet minister’s rank, the newly-elected District Development Council members have threatened mass resignation, alleging that their status has been degraded by the Jammu and Kashmir Administration.

The District Development Council (DDC) members have intensified their protest against the warrant of precedence issued by the government and have threatened to resign altogether.

The DDC members have demanded a cabinet minister's rank for the DDC chairman and are accusing bureaucrats of intentionally issuing the warrant of precedence degrading the third-tier of the Panchayati Raj system established for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir.

Staging protests outside the Press Club of Jammu here, the DDC members from BJP, Congress, PDP, National Conference and independents, have opened a front against the administration.

The DDC elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir in January this year wherein a total of 280 members were elected.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday issued an order of merit for these members, following which they staged a protest.

The BJP members who were among the protestors, claimed that the Jammu and Kashmir administration has made mockery of the system by issuing such order.

Chairman DDC Jammu, Bharat Bhushan said, "If the administration remains adamant, then all members will be forced to resign from their posts simultaneously."

Congress DDC Member, Shahnawaz Chaudhary, Independent member, Taranjeet Singh and women DDC members, who have won from Kashmir, have also taken a dig at the government and demanded immediate revocation of the order.