Published 16:16 IST, June 19th 2019
AAP voices concerns over "One nation one election policy" in a letter to Pralhad Joshi. Read here
The Aam Aadmi Party voiced its concerns over the "One nation, One Election" call of Prime Minister Modi through a letter addressed to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi on 19 June after it's chief Arvind Kejriwal skipped the All Party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Aam Aadmi Party voiced its concerns over "One nation, One Election" call of Prime Minister Modi through a letter addressed to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi on 19 June after it's chief Arvind Kejriwal skipped the all Party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Citing that there was a lack of vision document or policy draft or white paper on the proposed concept of simultaneous polls, the letter said that it would be futile to comment on the merits and demerits of the method.
In addition to that, the letter stated that the slogan "one nation, one election" was a mere slogan that was debated by politicians and news anchors and hence was not a concept that could be comprehended, debated and discussed owing to the lack of clarity.
AAP addressed some preliminary concerns about the proposed policy that is explained in detail in the letter. The letter speculated circumstances where the state government would collapse, leading the state to be ruled by the Governor until the general elections for the Lok Sabha took place, which the letter deemed, was not practicable. On the other hand, it also speculated a situation when the government at the Centre collapsed and the country came under the President's rule, it would not be possible for state governments to give up their rule and wait until the general elections for Lok Sabha to take place as they would enjoy the confidence of the citizens who voted them to power. Further, it said that the President taking advice from the Council of Ministers who belonged to a "defunct Lok Sabha" is against the parliamentary democracy. It termed the situation as "every grain going against the autonomy provided by the Constitution of India.
The letter further added that the concept of simultaneous elections could lead to compelled polls, which would turn out to be the base of political turmoil, undermining of democracy and a load on the exchequer. The letter also revisited the harrowing experience of Emergency where the tenure of the Lok Sabha was extended for more than five years and some assemblies dissolved to suit the political interests of the Congress was a caveat against forcing elections in any manner that contradicts the present five-year cycle.
The letter concluded by stating that any attempt to fix something that isn't broken such as making amendments for holding simultaneous polls and imposing Presidential Rule in the absence of breakdown of constitutional machinery will undermine democracy, create unrest and disturb the constitutional equilibrium.
Read the letter here:
PM Modi has frequently spoken in favour of 'one nation-one poll', which has been pitched by the government ever since coming to power. He stated that it is the need of the hour due to a various number of issues. PM Modi had called a meeting of presidents of all political parties in the parliament on June 19 to discuss One Nation, One Election. Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, K Chandrashekar Rao, MK Stalin, and Arvind Kejriwal gave the meeting a miss.
Updated 18:53 IST, June 20th 2019