 Patna,(BiharTimes): Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday reiterated that Mukhiya Pati (husband of women village head) and not the women Mukhiyas themselves are actually calling shots in panchayats of Bihar and Jharkhand.
Talking to the media at Sadaquat Ashram, the Congress headquarters in Patna on Saturday, he said during his visit to many panchayats in Bihar and Jharkhand he noticed Mukhiya Pati are ruling by proxy. However, he added in a lighter vein that it might be because it was the initial phase of women empowerment.
Bihar became the first state to reserve 50 per cent of seats in panchayats and urban local bodies for women, yet it is here that maximum number of such cases are reported. This is notwithstanding the fact that a few months back the state government issued a strict warning in this regard.
Jairam has referred to such practice in Bihar in the past too and has now appealed to the hustands of woman Mukhiyas to let the elected member discharge their duties to realise the spirit of women empowerment.
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