New Delhi, Dec 17: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill for ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE Bill) in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The tabling of the ONOE Bill set the stage for yet another showdown in Parliament as Opposition parties stood in protest, demanding its withdrawal over its ‘anti-constitutional and anti-democratic’ nature.
Congress leaders, in a scathing critique of the government, demanded that the Bill be withdrawn immediately. Home Minister Amit Shah rebutted the charge and said that it has become a habit of the Congress party to oppose progressive legislations.
The TDP, a key BJP ally expressed unwavering support to the ONOE Bill and said that this will not only ease India’s fiscal burden but will also cut down the electoral expenses by more than 40 per cent.
Among the parties who vociferously opposed the ONOE Bill were the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, the Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM and more. All of them called the Bill an assault on the Constitution and a brazen attempt to ‘kill democracy and bring authoritarianism and dictatorship.’
The AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, voicing opposition to the Bill, said that this legislation was being brought to finish off all regional parties.
“This is aimed at maximising political gains to a certain party and will pave the way for a presidential form of government,” he said, slamming the BJP-led Centre. The ONOE Bill proposes to hold simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha as well as State Assemblies, by synchronising the tenures of Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections. The ONOP has been a long-standing poll promise of the BJP-led NDA.
Top Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and MK Stalin have already opposed the idea of simultaneous polls, calling it a move towards “authoritarian democracy.” According to reports, the Lok Sabha Speaker is likely to refer the newly-tabled Bills to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations.
IANS