Rajiv Gandhi
Government
The
Rajiv Gandhi Government introduced the 64th Constitutional Amendment Bill in
the Lok Sabha in July 1989 to constitutionalize panchayati raj institutions and
make them more powerful and broad based. Although, the Lok Sabha passed the bill in August 1989, it
was not approved by the Rajya Sabha. The bill was vehemently opposed
by the Opposition on the ground that it sought to strengthen centralization in
the federal system.
V P Singh
Government
The
National Front Government, soon
after assuming office in November 1989 under the Prime Ministership of V P
Singh, announced that it would take steps to strengthen the panchayati raj
institutions. In June 1990, a two-day conference of the state chief ministers under the chairmanship
of V P Singh was held to discuss the issues relating to the
strengthening of the panchayati raj bodies. The conference approved the
proposals for the introduction of a fresh constitutional amendment bill.
Consequently, a
constitutional amendment bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in September
1990. However, the fall of the government resulted in the lapse of the bill.
Narasimha
Rao Government
The
Congress Government under the prime
minister P V Narasimha Rao once again considered the matter of the
constitutionalisation of panchayati raj bodies. It drastically modified the
proposals in this regard to delete the controversial aspects and introduced a
constitutional amendment bill in the Lok Sabha in September, 1991. This bill
finally emerged as the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 and came into
force on 24 April, 1993.
This bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on
22 December, 1992, and by the Rajya Sabha on 23 December, 1992. Later, it was
approved by the 17 state assemblies and received the assent of the president on
20 April, 1993.
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