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Congress MP Imran Masood on Thursday hit out at the central government over the 'One Nation One Election' saying that they brought this issue just to divert attention from the basic issues.
He further said that he doesn't think that a 'One Nation One Election' would become possible in a federal structure. "Government has decided to conduct new experiments. How will this be possible in a federal structure that 29 states and Centre go together (to polls). If a State Government falls to minority or if the State Government topples due to any reason, what would be the situation? So, I don't see this possible in federal structure. We will see what the formula of Government would be when they present it...There is no reason behind this - just divert attention from basic issues..." Masood said. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that the whole process of elections needs to be discussed and 'One Nation One Election' offers no solution. He said, "... We saw that elections in Maharashtra were held in five phases, but in assembly elections, two states' elections were held on the same day... The whole process of elections needs to be discussed... One Nation One Election offers no solution to this." 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. He further remarked, "It is against democracy and the basic structure of the Constitution." On Thursday, the Union Cabinet approved the 'One Nation, One Election' bill, paving the way for its introduction in Parliament. The approval is seen as a significant step towards implementing simultaneous elections across the country, with a comprehensive bill expected to be tabled soon. Earlier, on Wednesday, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind stressed the importance of consensus on the initiative, stating that it goes beyond political interests and serves the nation as a whole. Kovind, who chairs the committee examining the issue, highlighted its potential economic advantages. "The Central government must build consensus. This is not about any party's interests but about the nation's welfare. Economists believe that implementing One Nation, One Election could boost the country's GDP by 1-1.5 per cent," Kovind told the media. In September, the Union Cabinet had approved the proposal, aiming to conduct simultaneous Lok Sabha, Assembly, urban body, and panchayat elections within a span of 100 days. The recommendations were detailed in a report by a high-level panel chaired by Kovind. Following the Cabinet's approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the decision as a milestone in strengthening Indian democracy. "The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections. I commend former President Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji for leading this effort and consulting a broad spectrum of stakeholders. This is a significant step towards making our democracy more vibrant and participative," PM Modi posted on X. (ANI)
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