TMC Leader Derek O’Brien Criticizes ‘One Nation, One Election’ Proposal by PM Modi and Amit Shah
New Delhi, India – On Wednesday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien called the Union Cabinet’s approval of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal a ‘classic PM Modi-Amit Shah Jumla.’ He described it as a ‘cheap stunt from the anti-democratic BJP.’
The proposal aims to hold simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, with urban body and panchayat polls to be held within 100 days. O’Brien questioned why Maharashtra elections were not announced along with those in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, suggesting it was due to the Ladki Bahin scheme’s implementation timeline.
Earlier this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her strong disagreement with the proposal in a letter to Dr. Nitin Chandra, Secretary of the High-Level Committee on ‘One Nation, One Election.’ She questioned the concept of ‘one nation’ in the context of India’s federal structure and emphasized the need for a thorough examination of the proposal’s constitutional implications.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the Union Cabinet had unanimously accepted the recommendations of the high-level committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. The proposal will be implemented in two phases: first, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, followed by local bodies elections.
Vaishnaw highlighted that many political parties support the initiative and that it aims to strengthen the nation by creating a consensus on democratic issues. The Kovind-led committee’s report, which took 191 days to complete, emphasized the benefits of simultaneous elections, including greater voter turnout and reduced voter fatigue.
The proposal will now be tabled in Parliament and must be approved by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to become law.
Doubts Revealed
TMC -: TMC stands for Trinamool Congress, a political party in India, mainly active in the state of West Bengal.
Derek O’Brien -: Derek O’Brien is a leader and Member of Parliament (MP) from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party.
One Nation, One Election -: This is a proposal to hold all elections in India, like for the Lok Sabha (national parliament) and state Assemblies, at the same time.
PM Modi -: PM Modi refers to Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India.
Amit Shah -: Amit Shah is a senior leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the current Home Minister of India.
Union Cabinet -: The Union Cabinet is a group of top government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister to make important decisions for the country.
Lok Sabha -: Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s Parliament, where members are elected to represent the people.
State Assembly -: A State Assembly is a legislative body in each state of India where elected representatives make laws for the state.
Mamata Banerjee -: Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal and the leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party.
Constitutional basis -: This means whether something is allowed or supported by the Constitution, which is the highest law of India.
Ashwini Vaishnaw -: Ashwini Vaishnaw is a Union Minister in the Indian government, responsible for important departments like Railways and IT.
Parliament -: Parliament is the place where laws are made in India, consisting of two houses: the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.