Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anurag Thakur on Tuesday termed the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill “transformative, visionary, historic,” and said that the Bill will be in the national interest and will benefit the country.
“The ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill is transformative, visionary and historic. PM Modi’s government believes in reform, performance and change. If the country is developing at such a rapid pace today, it is largely due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiatives and the efforts of his government. ‘One Nation-One Election’ is also in the same direction. If the assembly and Lok Sabha elections are held simultaneously in the country, time will be saved, money will be saved, and the code of conduct will be in force for a shorter period. Lakhs and crores of rupees of the country will be saved,” Anurag Thakur told reporters in Srinagar.
“This is not the first time. There was a ‘One Nation, One Election’ from 1952 to 1967, but Congress repeatedly toppled governments or they fell for other reasons, so the elections became isolated… If there is ‘One Nation, One Election’, it will be in the national interest and it will benefit the country,” he added.
Earlier today, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ PP Chaudhary said that the JPC all-state visit on ‘One Nation, One Election’ will begin from Maharashtra on May 17, followed by Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Punjab.
“The committee believes that it should visit all states and hear their opinions, which is why the tour is being organised. Maharashtra will be covered first on May 17-18, then Uttarakhand between May 19 and 21.
Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Chandigarh (encompassing Punjab and Haryana), will be covered in June, according to different categories. Everyone will be heard, whether a celebrity, a sports person or anyone else, to know the thoughts of the people of the country, and will this be beneficial for the country?” he said.
Reacting to the website launch, PP Chaudhary stated that there should be transparency, and the entire Committee has agreed on this.
“There should be transparency. The entire Committee has agreed that we must keep transparency. The website will facilitate opinions from all the stakeholders. The committee made decisions on two major points: the advertisement will be printed in all languages, allowing all stakeholders to share their opinions. Secondly, the website will facilitate inputs from all stakeholders… This is being examined by the Secretary General… The development of technology is taking time to ensure the website doesn’t crash… The website will be launched soon with a QR code facility. Suggestions will be collected, and Parliamentarians will review them,” he added.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ is underway and will continue till 5 pm.
On March 25, the JPC held an important meeting that lasted over five hours. Several MPs in the committee raised concerns about the practicality of holding Lok Sabha and state elections together.
The Constitution Amendment Bill on ‘One Nation, One Election,’ currently under review by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), proposes aligning the election cycles of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. (ANI)
