"One nation, one election is assault on Constitution...We reject it": Congress leader P Chidambaram

HYDERABAD: Congress has rejected the suggestion of ‘one nation, one election’, saying that it is an “assault on the constitution and attack on federalism”.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad coinciding with a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), party leader P Chidambaram said BJP is seeking to divert attention from the pressing issues and create “a false narrative”.

“One nation, one election is an assault on the Constitution. We reject it. It is an attack on federalism. It will require at least five Constitutional amendments. The BJP knows that it does not have the numbers to pass these constitutional amendments. Yet if it (BJP) puts forward this mirage of One Nation, One Election, it is only to divert attention from the pressing issues and to create a false narrative," Chidambaram said. The Centre earlier this month constituted a High-Level Committee to examine the issue of ‘one nation, one election’ and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections in the country.

The committee is chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind and includes Home Minister Amit Shah, former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission Chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap, Senior Advocate Harish Salve and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

Adhir Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was also named a member of the High-Level Committee, declined to serve on the panel, saying its “terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has several times pitched the idea of One Nation, One Election.

Chidambaram said the Congress Working Committee is deliberating on a draft resolution. “The deliberations are still underway...We are discussing the situation in the country. Broadly, it can be divided into the political situation, the economic crisis that the country faces and the security threats both internal and external that are a great challenge to the country,” the Congress leader said.

Party leader Jairam Ramesh, who also addressed the press conference, said that CWC will discuss preparations for assembly polls in five states on Sunday.