Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday attacked the Union government on ‘One Nation One Election’ and suggested dissolving the ruling government and holding the elections again in the nation.
“I think there will be 2,000 pages in this report. We don’t even know what is the report. If they are in such a hurry to bring One Nation One Election then today PM Modi is coming (in Parliament) then he should dissolve the government and hold the elections again. It is the best time to dissolve the government when we are having a debate on the Constitution. If they are in a hurry,” the SP chief told reporters.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that the Congress party will oppose the One Nation One Election proposal.
“The Congress party will oppose this proposal and many regional parties including the DMK oppose the proposal. It is yet another attempt by the government to take away the federal structure. Having two or three state elections is very good for democracy as it gives the people an opportunity to either endorse or negate the political parties,” Chidambaram said.
Notably, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will introduce ‘The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha on December 16.
“The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024: Arjun Ram Meghwal to move for leave to introduce a Bill further to amend the Constitution of India. Also to introduce the Bill,” the list of business stated.
The first amendment bill to conduct simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and State assemblies and another bill to align elections for assemblies in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.
Several opposition leaders have questioned the One Nation One election proposal saying it was impractical and an attack on federalism
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh demanded that the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, asserting that the bill undermines democracy.
“The bill will be presented in Parliament, and we want it to be referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which will hold discussions on it. The Indian National Congress’s position was clarified last year by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who sent a four-page letter to former President Ram Nath Kovind’s committee on One Nation, One Election, stating that we oppose the bill,” Ramesh told ANI.
On December 12, the ‘One Nation One Election’ bill was approved by the Union Cabinet paving the way for its introduction in Parliament. However, before its introduction in the Parliament, the bill initiated debate between the ruling and opposition parties.
Several parties of the INDIA bloc opposed the bill while the BJP-led NDA alliance parties welcomed this bill, saying, it would save time and lay the groundwork for unified elections across the country.
Earlier, in September this year, the Union Cabinet approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, which aims to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, along with urban body and panchayat polls, within a span of 100 days.
The recommendations were outlined in a report by a high-level panel chaired by former President Kovind.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the decision, calling it a significant step towards enhancing India’s democracy.