Mallikarjun Kharge.
Credit: PTI
Describing 'one nation, one election' as a "drastic" action that will "sabotage our democracy, Constitution, and evolved-time-tested procedures", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said people only need 'one nation, one solution' in 2024 and that is to "get rid of the BJP misrule".
Kharge along with other top Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal took on the BJP move to have simultaneous elections to Parliament, Assemblies, and local bodies and the appointment of a high-level committee to recommend measures for its implementation.
Rahul posted on X, “INDIA, that is Bharat, is a Union of States. The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ is an attack on the Union and all its states.”
Kejriwal too took to X, “what is important for the country? One Nation, One Election or One Nation, One Education (Rich or poor, equal and good education for all), One Nation. One Treatment (Rich or poor, equal treatment for all). What will the common man get from One Nation, One Election?”
In a lengthy post, Kharge questioned the logic propagated in support of simultaneous polls while alleging that the Modi government wants “democratic India to slowly turn into a dictatorship” and this “gimmick of forming a committee” is a “subterfuge for dismantling” the country's federal structure.
He said what can be accomplished through simple electoral reforms would prove to be a disaster, like other disruptive ideas of PM Modi.
“Till 1967, we neither had so many states nor did we have 30.45 Lakh elected representatives in our panchayats. India is the world's largest democracy. We have lakhs of elected representatives, and their future cannot be determined at one go, now. For 2024, people of India only have ONE NATION, ONE SOLUTION - To get rid of BJP misrule!," he said on X.
Seeking to bust the arguments in favour of simultaneous polls, he said the 'cost saving' logic is "penny wise, pound foolish" when the cost incurred by Election Commission in conducting all elections between 2014-19, including Lok Sabha polls, was Rs 5,500 crore, “only a fraction” of budget expenditure.
On the Model Code of Conduct, he said parties can reach a wider consensus on shortening the length of the moratorium or by relaxing the kinds of developmental activities permitted during the election season.
Posing three questions, he asked whether the proposed committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind is “best suited to deliberate and decide on perhaps the most drastic disruption” in the Indian electoral process."
“Should this huge exercise unilaterally be undertaken without consulting the political parties at the national level and at the state level? Should this humongous operation happen without bringing states and their elected governments on board?” he asked.
He said this idea has been “extensively examined and rejected” by three committees in the past and it remains to be seen whether the fourth one has been constituted with a "pre-decided outcome in mind".
He also questioned the exclusion of an Election Commission representative from the committee, saying it "baffled" him.
He blamed the BJP for a series of bypolls that broke the electoral rhythm, alleging its “habit” of overthrowing elected governments through desertions had “added considerably” to the 436 bypolls since 2014 to Parliament and Assemblies alone.