No need for Opposition to get nervous, 'one nation, one election' report will be discussed in Parliament: Pralhad Joshi

After the Centre constituted a committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind to explore the feasibility of “one nation, one election”, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minsiter Pralhad Joshi on Friday said the report submitted by the panel will be discussed in Parliament and that there was no need for the Opposition to “get nervous.”

#WATCH | On 'One nation, One election', Union Parliamentary Affairs Minsiter Pralhad Joshi says "Right now, a committee has been constituted. A report of the committee will come out which be discussed. The Parliament is mature, and discussions will take place, there is no need to… pic.twitter.com/iITyAacPBq

— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2023

Addressing the reporters on Friday, Joshi said, “Right now, a committee has been constituted. A report of the committee will come out which be discussed. The Parliament is mature, and discussions will take place, there is no need to get nervous…India is called the mother of democracy, there is evolution…” He further added that he will discuss the agenda of the special session of Parliament. Sources said on Friday that Kovind will explore the feasibility of the exercise and the mechanism to see as to how the country can go back to having simultaneous Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls, as was the case till 1967. He is expected to speak to experts and may also consult leaders of different political parties, they said. The government’s decision comes a day after it decided to call a special session of Parliament between 18 and 22 September, the agenda for which is under wraps. Since coming to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong votary for the idea of simultaneous polls, which include those at local bodies, citing financial burden caused by almost continuous election cycle and jolt to development work during the polling period. Kovind too had echoed Modi’s view and expressed his support to the idea after becoming President in 2017. Addressing Parliament, he had said in 2018, “Frequent elections not only impose a huge burden on human resources but also impede the development process due to the promulgation of the model code of conduct.” Like Modi, he had called for a sustained debate and expressed hope that all political parties arrive at a consensus on this issue. Meanwhile, the Opposition, which has assembled in Mumbai for the third meeting of I.N.D.I.A bloc, has slammed the move saying that this the diversionary tactic of the BJP-led Centre. “The country is already one, is anyone questioning that? We demand fair election, not ‘one nation one election’. This funda of ‘one nation one election’ is being brought to divert the attention from our demand of fair election,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.

VIDEO | "The country is already one, is anyone questioning that? We demand fair election, not 'one nation one election'. This funda of 'one nation one election' is being brought to divert the attention from our demand of fair election," says Shiv Sena (UBT) leader @rautsanjay61… pic.twitter.com/9phqvFiqCv

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2023

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Congress leader Bhai Jagtap said that the BJP is afraid of I.N.D.I.A bloc which is why they made this move. “There is an imperative need for a lot of discussion on this (one nation, one election). However, this proves that BJP is afraid of INDIA which is why they made this move,”  said the Congress leader. CPI general secretary D Raja said that the government cannot take unilateral decisions.

VIDEO | "How can the government take unilateral decisions without consultation with political parties and Parliament?" says CPI general secretary D Raja on reports of the central government forming a committee to explore the possibility of 'one nation one election'. pic.twitter.com/RXjYuI19Xx

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2023

“How can the government take unilateral decisions without consultation with political parties and Parliament?” asked CPI general secretary D Raja. With inputs from agencies