New Delhi, Sep 2: Congress on Saturday slammed the government saying that the eight member committee on the one nation, one election is nothing but a systematic attempt to sabotage India’s parliamentary democracy.
Congress also questioned the appointment of Ghulam Nabi Azad as the member of the committee of instead of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a tweet, targeting the government, Congress General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said, “We believe that the High Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections is nothing but a systematic attempt to sabotage India’s parliamentary democracy.”
Targeting the government over the inclusion of Azad in the committee, the Congress leader said: “In a shocking insult to Parliament, the BJP has appointed a former LOP to the Committee instead of Rajya Sabha LOP Mallikarjun kharge ji. First, they bring this gimmick to distract from the Adani Mega Scam, unemployment, price rise and other pressing issues of the people.”
“Then, to make matters worse, they try to tilt this committee’s balance by excluding fierce opponents. What is the reason behind Kharge ji’s exclusion? Is a leader who has risen from such a humble background to the top post of India’s oldest party, leading the entire opposition in the Upper House, an inconvenience for the BJP-RSS?” Venugopal said.
His remarks came after the government formed an eight member committee to examine one nation one election with former President Ram Nath Kovind as its chairman and union home Minister Amit Shah and others as its member.
The government said that an eight-member committee has been constituted to examine one nation one election. It said that Kovind has been appointed as Chairman of the committee while Shah, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Former Rajya Sabha LoP Ghulam Nabi Azad, and others have been appointed as the members of the committee.
Former chairman of the 15th Finance Commission N.K Singh, former Secy General of Lok Sabha Subhash Kashyap Senior advocate Harish Salve and former Chief avigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari are the other names part of the eight member panel.
In a related development, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday declined to be a part of the high-level committee announced by the Centre to examine the possibility of simultaneous elections in the country.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chowdhury said he has come to know that he has been appointed a member of the high-level committee on simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas.
“I have no hesitation whatsoever in declining to serve on the Committee whose terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions. It is, I am afraid, a total eyewash,” he said in his letter. “Moreover, the sudden attempt to thrust a constitutionally suspect, pragmatically non-feasible and logistically unimplementable idea on the nation, months before the general elections, raises serious concerns about ulterior motives of the government,” he said. (Agencies)
