Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has opposed the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal approved by the Union cabinet, saying it goes against the federal structure and is also practically impossible to implement.
Expressing annoyance over the Union cabinet's nod to the proposal yesterday, Siddaramaiah said that an important proposal being rushed through without any consultation with opposition parties only reveals the “malicious intent” of the Narendra Modi-government.
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The chief minister also alleged that the Modi government was trying to divert the attention of the people from the real issues by pushing through a proposal that was nothing but a “political gimmick”.
“It appears that the Centre and the prime minister lack basic knowledge to set the priorities as unemployment is rampant across the country, inflation is destabilising the economy, and people are suffering due to rising prices of essential commodities. Also, the law and order has broken down, with atrocities against dalits and women reaching alarming levels. The PM is only trying to cover up his failures by diverting public attention,” said Siddaramaiah, adding that his party would oppose the proposal, which is part of the BJP’s “hidden agenda”.
Dubbing the 'One Nation, One Election' system “anti-democratic” and as one that offers no remedy in case a ruling party loses the vote of confidence either in the Lok Sabha or the state assembly, Siddaramaiah said a midterm election would be the only proper solution in such a situation. “Allowing a minority party that has failed to win a vote of confidence to remain in power would be a betrayal of the democratic system,” he reasoned.
Further, the CM expressed reservations over the capacity of, and resources available with, the current Election Commission to hold simultaneous elections. “The electoral system would need to be expanded to double its current capacity, which cannot be done in haste. For a new electoral system to be implemented, amendments must first be made to the Representation of the People’s Act. In addition, at least five chapters of the Constitution would need to be amended. Even for the NDA, it would be difficult to get the necessary support to pass constitutional amendments under the current system. Despite knowing all this, the Narendra Modi government has approved this proposal just to create confusion among the people and cover up his failures,” Siddaramaiah said.
Seconding the CM, his deputy and KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar rejected the idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’, saying it was impossible to hold simultaneous elections as per the Constitution.
“What BJP is trying to do is not right as it doesn’t even have one-third majority in Parliament. The BJP should call for an all-party meeting and seek the opinion of all parties. Unless it does so, these proposals are pointless. Let them take action on women’s reservation and delimitation first. With respect to 'One Nation, One Election', we are in agreement with the view of our senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi,” said Shivakumar, adding that it was an irony that BJP, a party that propagated ‘Operation Lotus’ to topple elected governments, was talking about ‘One Nation, One Election’.
“BJP has always tried to destabilise the elected governments across many states and now, it is another bid to curb the growth of regional parties,” he said.
Recalling that Karnataka had undergone simultaneous polls in the past, Shivakumar said the trend did not continue as many states went their own ways.
Meanwhile, JD(S) leader and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy welcomed the Union cabinet decision calling it a “historical” move which would bring in electoral reforms.