"No proper amendment or research has been done," Sanjay Raut on 'One Nation, One Election' bill
Dec 13, 2024
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 13 : Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday slammed the "One Nation, One Election" bill, stating that insufficient research and amendments have been made.
Raut also questioned Modi's potential to remain Prime Minister until 2029, labelling the "One Nation, One Election" concept as a significant threat to democracy.
He further alleged that the governments in Maharashtra and Delhi were not formed through democratic means, but rather through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
"No proper amendment or research has been done about it. Modi ji always speaks his Mann ki Baat. He never thinks about what is in the mind of the public or what is in the mind of the people in opposition... I doubt whether Modi ji will remain the Prime Minister till 2029. This is the biggest threat to democracy. Your governments in Maharashtra, and Delhi, are not governments formed by democracy. These are governments formed by EVMs..."
Several MPs of Congress have expressed serious reservations on the proposed move to bring 'One Nation, One Election'. Key party leaders have questioned the measure's feasibility and possible effects on the nation's democratic processes, even though the Union Cabinet recently approved it.
Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said, "I have heard that One Nation One Election will be sent to the committee. It is necessary to discuss the One Nation One Election. I do not think that this (One Nation One Election) will achieve the goal of not holding elections every day because the assemblies will be dissolved. Unless there is a provision that the assemblies will not be dissolved for five years, One Nation One Election has no meaning."
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari criticized the opposition, stating, "Even the BJP doesn't have two-thirds seats in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha... I don't understand on what basis Ram Nath Kovind is saying that the GDP will grow by 1.5% (by One Nation One Election). I know him well. He is not an economist."
JDU MP Sanjay Jha welcomed the proposed move saying that it would ensure that there was not stoppage to the development works in the country due to repeated elections.
"After independence, simultaneous elections were held in the country. But the Congress party started imposing the President's rule in the states. The development work which gets stalled due to frequent elections will not stop after the implementation of One Nation One Election. Our party fully supports One Nation One Election," he said.
The 'One Nation One Election' bill was approved by the Union Cabinet on Thursday paving the way for its introduction in Parliament. However, before its introduction in the Parliament, the bill initiated debate between the ruling and opposition parties. Several parties of the INDIA bloc opposed the bill while the BJP-led NDA alliance parties welcomed this bill, saying it would save time and lay the groundwork for unified elections across the country.