'One nation, one election' not possible under present Constitution: Chidambaram

CHANDIGARH: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday lashed out at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over the 'one nation, one election' issue, saying it is not possible under the present Constitution and requires at least five constitutional amendments.

Replying to a question on reports that the BJP-led NDA government would implement 'one nation, one election' within its current tenure, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have the numbers to place those constitutional amendments either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.

In his Independence Day address last month, the prime minister made a strong pitch for 'one nation, one election', contending that frequent polls were creating hurdles in the country's progress.

Addressing reporters here, Chidambaram said, "'One nation, one election' is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments."

"Mr Modi does not have the majority to put those constitutional amendments in either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha," the former Union minister said.

He asserted that there were greater constitutional obstacles to 'one nation, one election'. "It is not possible. The INDIA bloc is totally opposed to 'one nation, one election."

Chidambaram rejected Modi's allegation that the Congress wanted to end reservation. "Why should we abolish reservation?" he asked rhetorically.

"We are the ones who are saying that the reservation ceiling of 50 per cent must be removed. We are the ones who are asking for a caste census. We are saying reservation must be according to the population. Do not believe everything the prime minister says," he told the reporters.

At a rally in Kurukshetra on September 15, Modi lashed out at the Congress, alleging its "royal family" intended to end reservation for Dalits and asserted that as long as he was there, he would not let even a fraction of reservation given by B R Ambedkar be looted or removed.

On the possibility of the Congress announcing its chief ministerial candidate for the October 5 Haryana assembly polls, he said, "The practice is that elections take place, MLAs gather and their preferences are asked. Then the high command announces who will be the chief minister. I think the same practice will be followed in Haryana".

On Modi's accusation of financial mismanagement by Congress governments in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, Chidambaram said, "Everything that the PM says is not necessarily true. I do not agree."

Himachal Pradesh finances are being managed and I do not think that they have a management crisis of finances, he said.

Don't believe everything Modi says because he talked about tax on buffaloes, 'mangalsutras' being taken away, and properties being redistributed during the Lok Sabha elections campaigning, he said.

All that was "rubbish electoral rhetoric", Chidambaram said, adding, "It was said a few months ago but the people of India did not believe it".

Talking about Karnataka, he asked which "guarantee" was not fulfilled by the Congress government.

"But what about the promises made by Mr Modi? Has he implemented all promises? Has Mr (Manohar Lal) Khattar implemented the promises which he made in 2014. Do not compare one state with another," he said.

At a rally in Kurukshetra, Modi said the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana by making false promises, and has now "destroyed" the states which used to be prosperous.

On Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu's "terrorist" remark against Rahul Gandhi, Chidambaram said, "I do not take Mr Bittu as seriously. My suggestion is that you (the media) should ignore him."

Asked about AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal's announcement to resign as the chief minister of Delhi, Chidambaram said it only concerned the people of the national capital.

"They (people of Delhi) have elected him as the chief minister. If he wants to resign then I think the people of Haryana have no concern or any interest in it," he said.

He also said that the AAP is not an ally of the Congress in Haryana and the INDI Alliance was only for the Lok Sabha polls.

"They (AAP) held talks with the Congress and they were asking for a certain number of seats but no agreement could be reached. We will contest on our policy platform and I am confident that Haryana people will support the Congress," he said.

The senior Congress leader hit out at the BJP government in the state over several issues, including unemployment, agriculture and state debt.

He appealed to the people to vote for the Congress in the Assembly elections and promised that his party would bring back growth in Haryana, give a fillip to development, agriculture, and industry, and tackle issues of unemployment and inflation.

"The BJP boasts of a double-engine government. One engine is without fuel and the other is completely broken down. What is the use of such a double-engine government? The time has come to junk the two engines," Chidambaram said.