All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday called ‘One Nation, One Election’ a disaster for Indian democracy and federalism, adding that it is a solution searching for a problem.
Owaisi wrote a letter to the secretary of the high-level committee for ‘One Nation, One Election’, Niten Chandra.
“I write to you to oppose the proposal of “One Nation, One Election” in my capacity as Member
of Parliament and President of All India, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. I have appended my
substantive objections to the proposal based on constitutional law. The same objections were also conveyed to the Law Commission of India on June 27, 2018, when it sought suggestions on the issue. I have also appended an article that I had authored for Hindustan Times dated March
12, 2021, on the issue,” the AIMIM chief said in his letter.
“It is unfortunate that my objections — both preliminary and substantive — will have to be
reiterated before the HLC. This is because every consultation on this issue has sidestepped the
first requirement of lawmaking in democracies: justifying why a policy needs to be made.
There is no rationale that has been provided by the government. Neither have the Parliamentary
Standing Committee, NITI Aayog or the Law Commission demonstrated why such a step needs
to be taken. Instead, the discussion has been focused on how it can be implemented,” he added.
He also mentioned that the high-level committee’s terms of reference were ‘flawed’, adding that the concentration is on the “creation of an appropriate legal and administrative framework for holding simultaneous elections on a permanent basis”. However, it has not been explored whether the change in the system is constitutionally permissible.
“Unfortunately, the same flaw exists in the HLC’s terms of reference. The focus is on “creation of
an appropriate legal and administrative framework for holding simultaneous elections on a
permanent basis.” More importantly, it has not been explored if such fundamental changes to
India’s democratic structure are constitutionally permissible in the first place. This is a solution
in search of a problem,” the AIMIM chief said.
Highlighting the value of electoral democracy in India’s constitutional edifice, Owaisi said, “I would like to reiterate that elections are not a mere formality. Voters are not rubber stamps.
Electoral democracy is the pillar on which India’s constitutional edifice stands. Elections cannot
be subject to such weak considerations as administrative convenience or economic viability.
If constitutional requirements were subject to financial or administrative considerations, then it
would lead to absurd consequences: should one do away with permanent civil services or police because of costs? Should one stop recruiting judges because of pendency?”
“I urge the HLC to duly record the finding that simultaneous elections are neither constitutionally permissible nor necessary nor viable,” he added. (ANI)
