Key Takeaways
- The One Nation One Election Bill is opposed by the Opposition due to concerns over its impact on the Constitution and federalism of the country.
- The bill proposes to hold simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, giving the Election Commission more powers.
- The Opposition has called for the bill to be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further scrutiny.
New Delhi: The Opposition on Tuesday strongly opposed the introduction of the One Nation One Election Bill in the Lok Sabha, calling it as an attack on the Constitution and the federalism of the country and demanded that it must be withdrawn immediately.
Objecting to the introduction of the Bill, Congress member Manish Tewari said, “The Law and Justice Minister’s Bills are an assault on the Constitution’s basic structure and beyond the house’s legislative competence. They need to be opposed and the Bills’ introduction stopped, as Congress MP Manish Tewari said.
The Congress MP said, “The introduction and tabling of this bill is beyond the competence of this house and it should be withdrawn immediately”.
Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav, while agreeing with Manish Tewari said that the bill has been brought to end the basic structure of the Constitution. He called the bill as “anti-Dalit, anti-Muslim and anti-OBC”.
Opposing the introduction of the bill, Trinamool Congress’ Kalyan Banerjee said, “The bill will hit our basic structure. This bill is ultra vires. State assemblies tenure should not be at the pleasure of this house”.
“It is not an election reform, but fulfillment of one gentleman’s desire,” Banerjee added.
Objecting to the introduction of the bill, DMK’s TR Baalu said that the government does not have two third majority, “so how it can bring the bill? We seek the bill be sent to JPC”.
IUML member E T Mohammed Basheer said, his party opposed the introduction of the bill as it was an attack on the federalism of the country.
Congress member Gaurav Gogoi said that introduction of the bill is against the Constitution. This bill will give unconstitutional power to the Election Commission.
“Don’t just go by a Niti Aayog report. Five years term is a must for all assemblies. We want the bill be sent to JPC,” Gogoi said.
Meanwhile AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi called the bill as draconian and opposed its introduction.
He said, “It violates the basic structure of the Constitution and we oppose it”.
NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule too opposed the introduction of the bill calling it as an attack on the federalism and the Constitution and asked it be sent to JPC.
NK Premchandran of RSP and Amraram of CPI (M) too opposed the bill.
Earlier, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Megwal introduced The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Law (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
