Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu & Kashmir President and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma (CA) chaired an important meeting with the District Development Council (DDC) Chairpersons at the party headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu.
DDC Chairperson Jammu Bharat Bhushan, DDC Chairperson Kathua Col (Retd) Mahan Singh, DDC Chairperson Doda Dhananter Singh Kotwal, DDC Chairperson Reasi Saraf Singh Nag, DDC Chairperson Samba Keshav Dutt Sharma, and DDC Chairperson Udhampur Lal Chand Bhagat, attended the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Sat Sharma lauded the pivotal role played by the DDC representatives in strengthening grassroots governance and ensuring that development reaches the last person in the queue. He said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who ensured the full implementation of the 3-tier Panchayati Raj System in Jammu & Kashmir after the historic abrogation of Article 370. He stressed that for the first time in decades, real power was devolved to the people, reflecting the BJP’s unwavering commitment to strengthening democracy in the region.
Sat Sharma strongly criticized the Congress, NC, and PDP, stating that these parties, whether they were in Delhi or in Jammu & Kashmir, deliberately weakened democratic institutions by refusing to empower local representatives. He said that these parties never wanted ordinary citizens to have a voice. He said that by blocking democratic decentralization, these parties stalled countless development works and kept people dependent on the whims of a few political families.
The DDC Chairpersons briefed the BJP President and MP about the extensive development works carried out during their five-year tenure, which is now nearing completion. They highlighted how they implemented public welfare initiatives that had been neglected for decades due to the apathy of previous governments. They emphasized that strong Panchayati Raj institutions form the bedrock of democracy, enabling transparency, accountability, and speedy development at the grassroots level.
The Chairpersons also discussed several matters of public concern and requested Sat Sharma to raise their issues in the Rajya Sabha. They reiterated that the Modi government’s genuinely people-oriented governance model empowered Panchayats, BDCs, and DDCs, creating a development-driven and corruption-free ecosystem.
Sat Sharma assured them that the BJP would continue to stand firmly with all elected grassroots representatives and would ensure that the voice of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is heard at every level of governance. He said the DDC tenure has set a new benchmark for decentralized development, proving that democratic empowerment is the true catalyst for progress.