Chennai: Launching a sharp attack on the Centre, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday said that the Union government’s idea to introduce “One nation, one election” is simply a ‘conspiracy’, and this is not democracy but a ‘dictatorship’ that our country is facing today.
“TN AIADMK is supporting this One Nation, One Election. One Nation, One Election is a conspiracy by the BJP,” Stalin said, adding that “they are saying this would reduce election expenses, but before that, stop your corruption.”
Criticising Central for making former President Ram Nath Kovind the head of the “One nation, one election” pannel, Stalin said, “Centre has put the president as head of the team. Even though he is a former president, he should stay away from politics. A team has been formed in a way that follows the BJP’s voice. It is a dictatorship.”
Speaking further on the recent Opposition meeting that was held in Mumbai on Friday (September 1), Stalin said, “Three meetings are over for I.N.D.I.A alliance. In our last meeting in Mumbai, we formed various teams. The BJP is fearful of seeing such things. Now they are calling for a Parliament session. The government is trying to conduct an early election as they are now sacred to opposition unity,” he said.
“Everyone should realise the situation that our country is facing today. Just as you all gave a great victory to the DMK and its alliance to save Tamil Nadu in the last assembly elections, similarly, there is a need to save India now,” he said. “I have said many times that it does not matter who should become the Prime Minister or who will come to power. What matters is who should not come to power, and that is our ambition, Stalin added.
Notably, this development has come at a time when Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who has been appointed as a member of the One Nation One Election panel declined to be a part of it. The eight-member committee was notified on Saturday (September 2) and was given the task of exploring every aspect of the country that can hold simultaneous polls.
In a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he has no hesitation in declining to serve on the committee. “I have no hesitation whatsoever in declining to serve on the committee whose terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions. It is, I am afraid, a total eyewash,” Adhir wrote.
“Moreover, the sudden attempt to thrust a constitutionally suspect, pragmatically non-feasible and logistically unimplementable idea on the nation, months before the general elections, raises serious concerns about ulterior motives of the government,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote. “Furthermore, I find that the current LOP in the Rajya Sabha has been excluded. This is a deliberate insult to the system of Parliamentary democracy. In these circumstances, I have no option but to decline your invitation,” the Congress leader wrote. (ANI)
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