(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
The high-level committee, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, had written to political parties seeking their opinion on the matter.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. (South First)
Expressing opposition to the idea of “One Nation, One Election”, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that the proposal will be a “disaster” for Indian democracy and federalism, and that it is a “solution searching for a problem”.
Owaisi wrote a letter on Monday, 15 January, to Niten Chandra, Secretary of the High-Level Committee (HLC) on One Nation, One Election, which has called for suggestions for implementation of the idea.
In this letter, Owaisi urged the “HLC to duly record the finding that simultaneous elections are neither constitutionally permissible nor necessary, nor viable”.
In a post on social media platform X, the Hyderabad MP said, “Wrote to the High Level Committee on One, One Election. #OneNationOneElection will be a disaster for Indian democracy and federalism. It is a solution searching for a problem.”
Owaisi said in the letter, “I write to you to oppose the proposal of “One Nation, One Election” in my capacity as Member of Parliament and President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. I have appended my substantive objections to the proposal based on constitutional law. The same objections were also conveyed to the Law Commission of India on 27 June 2018 when it had sought suggestions on the issue.”
Reiterating his objections, Owaisi said that every consultation on this issue has “sidestepped” the first requirement of lawmaking in democracies of justifying why a policy needs to be made. According to him, no rationale has been provided by the government.
“Neither have the Parliamentary Standing Committee, NITI Aayog, or the Law Commission demonstrated why such a step needs to be taken,” Owaisi said in the letter, adding that the discussion instead has been focused on how it can be implemented.
“Unfortunately, the same flaw exists in the HLC’s terms of reference,” the AIMIM chief said.
He said that the focus is on “creation of an appropriate legal and administrative framework for holding simultaneous elections on a permanent basis”.
Wrote to the High Level Committee on One, One Election. #OneNationOneElection will be a disaster for Indian democracy & federalism. It is a solution searching for a problem. pic.twitter.com/kPRyULcgjQ
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 15, 2024
More importantly, it has not been explored if such fundamental changes to India’s democratic structure are constitutionally permissible in the first place, he noted and asserted that “this is a solution in search of a problem”.
Owaisi further said that elections are not a mere formality and voters are not rubber stamps.
He said that elections cannot be subject to such “weak” considerations as administrative convenience or economic viability.
“If constitutional requirements were subject to financial or administrative considerations, then it would lead to absurd consequences: should one do away with permanent civil services or police because of costs? Should one stop recruiting judges because of pendency?” he asked in the letter.
“I urge the HLC to duly record the finding that simultaneous elections are neither constitutionally permissible nor necessary, nor viable,” Owaisi added.
The high-level committee, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, had written to political parties seeking their opinion on the matter.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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