Opposition parties oppose 'One Nation, One Election' bill; Cong says it's 'first milestone to bringing new constitution'

New Delhi [India], December 17 (ANI): Several opposition leaders, including Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SCP) MPs, on Tuesday expressed their opposition to the "One Nation, One Election" Bill, which aims to conduct simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies across India.
Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh rejected the bill, calling it unconstitutional and a threat to democracy. "The Congress party firmly, totally, comprehensively rejects the One Nation, One Election Bill. We will oppose the introduction. We will demand its reference to a Joint Parliamentary Committee," he said.
Ramesh further slammed the bill, asserting, "We believe it's unconstitutional. We believe it goes against the basic structure and it is meant to throttle democracy and accountability in this country."
The Congress leader also highlighted the party's long-standing objections to the idea. "Mallikarjun Kharge had written to former President Ramnath Kovind on January 17 on why the Congress party is objecting to the very idea of one nation, one election."
According to Ramesh, the bill is part of a broader agenda to replace India's Constitution. "The One Nation, One Election Bill is only the first milestone; the real objective is to bring a new constitution. Amending the Constitution is one thing, but bringing a new Constitution is the real objective of the RSS and PM Modi," he claimed. Ramesh also stated that the RSS has historically opposed the Indian Constitution, saying it does not draw inspiration from Manusmriti. "They rejected this Constitution on 30th November 1949, saying that it doesn't derive inspiration from the values of Manusmriti and so on... That's what we are opposing."
Meanwhile, Supriya Sule, an NCP-SCP MP, also expressed concerns, calling for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to discuss the bill. "We are demanding that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC ) should be done and discussions should take place. Our party is demanding the JPC," Sule told ANI.
Pramod Tiwari, another Congress MP, questioned the government's approach. "It would have been better if an all-party meeting had been called where there should have been discussions regarding this. But the government has brought this issue to divert attention from other important ones. They clearly know that to make constitutional changes, they neither have a majority in the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha," Tiwari said.
Congress MP K Suresh also raised similar concerns, stressing the bill's alleged threat to India's democracy. "The Congress party is not accepting this bill; we are strongly opposing this bill. This is against the interest of Indian democracy and our federal system. That is why we are going to strongly oppose it. The entire opposition is going to oppose it," he said, adding, "I think NDA allies, TDP and JD(U) may not openly oppose it, but they don't want this bill."
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav also criticized the bill, stating, "Our party will oppose it because it is against all sections of the Constitution."
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Manish Tewari submitted a formal notice to oppose the introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha. "My objections to the proposed bill are based on serious concerns regarding constitutionalism and constitutionality," he stated. (ANI)