Congress Adhir Chowdhury exits from Govt panel on one nation one election, calling it an eyewash

The lone opposition member, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Congress Leader in Lok Sabha has walked out of the 8 member panel constituted by Union Government to explore the possibility of simultaneous elections in the country under one nation one election policy, calling it “total eyewash”. On Friday Government formed a committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind, the day opposition leaders had met for their meeting in Mumbai under the India alliance bloc. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also part of the panel.

The 8 member panel had other members including former Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission chairperson N.K. Singh, senior advocate Harish Salve, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C. Kashyap, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

At the India opposition meeting, the leaders had rubbished the possibility of one nation one election and had called it an attempt to steal the attention of people from the India meet. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury termed his inclusion in the panel meaningless, alleging the outcome of the panel is known to all.

”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 Ranjan Chowdhury wrote in his letter to Home Minister Amit Shah.

Implementation of one nation one election would require constitutional amendments along with consent from the states under certain clause. The notification issued by the government over the panel stated that the committee will also examine if the state ratification would be required.

Chowdhury while casting aspersions added that “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”. He furthermore questioned as why the leader of opposition from Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge not included in the panel, calling it a “deliberate insult to the system of Parliamentary democracy.”