Jaipur, Aug. 21 -- Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra on Wednesday accused the BJP government of delaying panchayat and local body elections, alleging that forces in power today "do not respect the Constitution and are openly undermining democratic norms." He said the BJP has violated constitutional provisions by failing to hold timely elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies even after the completion of their five-year term. "BJP does not want people's representatives to be chosen through elections, as it would strengthen local development and democracy. Their denial of polls is a direct attack on the Constitution," Dotasra said. Dotasara pointed out that his party had repeatedly cautioned the government against delaying elections. He said the Rajasthan high court has now reprimanded the state government and observed that both the Election Commission of India and the State Election Commission should probe why voter lists were not prepared and delimitation was left incomplete before the expiry of local bodies' tenure. He further accused the BJP of acting undemocratically by removing elected Congress representatives and undermining the people's mandate. Citing a recent court ruling, he said the high court has directed immediate elections to restore democracy at the grassroots. Earlier, while paying tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Dotasra credited him with strengthening local self-governance through the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments that made timely local body elections mandatory and ensured women's reservation. He said the nation continues to benefit from Rajiv Gandhi's vision, which gave India global respect and a stronger democratic framework. Reacting to the comments, BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said, "The party which ruled the country for a long time and toppled elected governments many times has no right to talk about democracy. In the last 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, no elected government has suffered. The country is witnessing inclusive development, and all sections of society are getting their rights." He added that conducting elections is the task of the Election Commission, and the government will fulfil its duties accordingly....