New Delhi: The opposition on Monday slammed the government over the 'one nation, one election' issue, saying it was not possible under the present Constitution and just a "gimmick" of the ruling BJP which keeps "releasing hot air balloons" to test waters.
The Congress, the TMC and the CPI rejected the idea, saying it was not pragmatic. The opposition parties' assertion came after reports said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government would implement 'one nation, one election' during its current tenure.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it is not possible under the present Constitution and requires at least five constitutional amendments. Replying to a question on reports that the BJP-led NDA government would implement 'one nation, one election' within its current tenure, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have the numbers to place those constitutional amendments either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.
Addressing reporters in Chandigarh, Chidambaram said, "'One nation, one election' is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments." "Mr Modi does not have the majority to put those constitutional amendments in either in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha," the former Union minister said.
He asserted that there were greater constitutional obstacles to 'one nation, one election'. "It is not possible. The INDIA bloc is totally opposed to 'one nation, one election." The Congress also said the idea of 'one nation, one election' was not pragmatic and wondered how long the government would survive by "releasing hot air balloons" to test the waters.
Asked about the reports on 'one nation, one election' being implemented during the government's current tenure, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, "You quoted government sources, here I am the official spokesperson of the Congress party laying threadbare the many failures of the Modi government. How long is this government going to survive by leaking selective information?"
"How long is this government going to survive by turning a blind eye to real and actual problems of this nation? How long is this government going to survive by planting information, by releasing these hot air balloons to test the waters? "The reality is that there is no draft, the reality is that there has been no discussion, the reality is that there are assemblies in progress, the reality is that the government has made no attempt to speak to us," she said at a press conference.
"It is absolutely not pragmatic to do this but the government has to have a conversation. So these sources-based information, that is what this government has survived on, leak sources-based information, run (it) in news channels, do reportage through WhatsApp, this nonsense must stop but that is what continues and that has continued in the last 100 days," Shrinate said.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) called it another "gimmick" of the ruling party and questioned why the Maharashtra elections were not announced along with the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. "'One nation, one election' is just another gimmick from the anti-democratic BJP," TMC Parliamentary Party leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien said.
Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja also said his party does not support the 'one nation, one election' proposal. "Our party, the CPI, is not in favour of 'one nation one election'. In fact, I met the former president who was heading the committee," he said.
Raja said India is a diverse country and elections are held in Parliament and the state legislative assemblies. The Constitution makes clear the tenure of Lok Sabha, state assembly, the powers of elected chief ministers and governments in the states, he said. The Union government cannot snatch all powers from the state governments, he said, adding this issue was discussed in the Constituent Assembly and things are very clear.
Raja said the 'one nation, one election' cannot be implemented in the country. The government should ensure a level-playing field, he added. 'One nation, one election' was one of the key promises made by the BJP in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.
A high-level panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind in March recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. Separately, the Law Commission is likely to recommend holding simultaneous polls for all three tiers of government -- Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies such as municipalities and panchayats -- starting with 2029 and a provision for a unity government in cases of a hung House or no-confidence motions.
The Kovind panel has not specified any period for rolling out simultaneous polls. It has proposed the creation of an 'implementation group' to look into the execution of the panel's recommendations. The panel recommended as many as 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by the state assemblies. However, these would require certain constitutional amendment bills that would need to be passed by Parliament.
