'One election, one ideology' not acceptable to India, BJP should not 'divide country for votes': Congress' Anand Sharma in RS

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said in the Rajya Sabha that the idea of “one election, one face, one ideology” is not acceptable to India and asked the BJP to desist from “dividing the country for votes”. Congress leader Anand Sharma, while speaking during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, also urged the ruling party to recognise the efforts made by previous governments since independence and not disregard them. [caption id=“attachment_4184643” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Congress leader Anand Sharma. PTI[/caption] “Don’t divide the country for votes. This is a very dangerous trend,” Sharma told the BJP in Rajya Sabha. Rejecting the idea of ‘one nation, one election’ mentioned in the President’s address, he said, “There is federal polity in the country, there is diversity. Our experience speaks that when governments have fallen and alternative ones have not been formed, mid-term elections have been held. You cannot have a forced majority, you cannot impose your decision. “You cannot take away the rights of states on elections. When governments fall in states and alternative governments are not formed, will you impose President’s rule then? This will not happen. I understand your thought. There should be one country, but one election, one face, one name, one ideology is not acceptable to India,” Sharma said. Sharma, who is deputy leader of the Congress in the upper house, alleged that no prime minister has ever fought elections on the victory of armed forces as Modi did. He recalled how Indira Gandhi after the victory of Indian forces in Bangladesh war of independence said that this was the victory of humanity and not hers, for which opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had lauded her. He also called upon the BJP leadership to follow what former prime minister Vajpayee had said. “No prime minister has fought elections on the victory of armed forces. The Army does not belong to any party, as their victory is that of the country,” he said. Asking the BJP to recognise the contributions made by previous governments and prime ministers, Sharma said, “Don’t think the country started after 2014 and not after 1947 when India achieved independence.” “Respect and accept India’s diversity… The achievements made by India are by its scientists and why do you not recognise them,” he asked. He urged the ruling party not to make a “New India that has seen lynchings”. Sharma asked why the issue of lynching did not find a mention in the President’s address. He also alleged that there is no transparency in electoral bonds as 95 percent funds of big corporates have gone to the ruling party. In a lighter vein, he asked the BJP to tell the Congress what magic it has with it that all the funds are going to the BJP and Congress was facing a crunch. While congratulating the BJP for its victory, he asked why the government “did not give an account of the last five years”. “India’s unity and security is non-negotiable and the Congress understands this as it has given the supreme sacrifice of two prime ministers,” he said. He also talked about India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s achievements, both in the freedom struggle and post-independence.