"It is erroneous," Congress MP Manish Tewari on former President Kovind as chairperson of 'One Nation, One Election' committee
Nov 22, 2023
New Delhi [India], November 22 : Congress MP Manish Tewari has said that former President Ram Nath Kovind should have "never accepted" the chairmanship of the 'One Nation, One Election' committee.
"With great respect to former President Ram Nath Kovind, he held the highest office in the country and in my respectful submission, he should have never accepted the chairmanship of this particular committee or commission because, after you held the highest office in the country, to associate yourself with anything that is not academic in my respectful submission is erroneous," Tiwary said on Tuesday.
The central government earlier in September constituted a high-level committee to examine the issue of 'One Nation, One Election' and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections in the country.
Earlier on Monday, the former President said that members of the committee, together with the public, will make suggestions to the government regarding the "re-implementation" of this idea.
Speaking to the media, Ram Nath Kovind said "The Government of India formed a high-level committee and appointed me as its chairman. Members of the committee, together with the public, will give suggestions to the government regarding the re-implementation of this tradition (One Nation, One Election). I have also communicated with all the nationally registered political parties and sought their suggestions. Every political party has supported it at some point in time. We are requesting all the parties for their constructive support, as it is beneficial to the country. It is a matter of national interest."
He further said that no political party has anything to do with this and it will ultimately benefit the public as whatever money is saved can be used in development works.
The central idea behind 'One Nation, One Election' is to synchronise the timing of Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections across all states to reduce the frequency of polls throughout the country.
This concept was in practice till 1967, but it was disrupted due to various reasons such as defections, dismissals, and dissolutions of government.
