Owaisi opposes One Nation One Election in Parliament

One Nation One Election will finish off regional parties; the States must not be treated as the appendages of the Union: Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday strongly opposed the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill in Parliament, arguing that the proposal undermines federalism and violates the Constitution.

Mr. Owaisi, who represents Hyderabad in the Lok Sabha, asserted that the Bill infringes on the democratic right to self-governance, which is an integral part of Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution. “If a Legislative Assembly is dissolved and mid-term elections are conducted, the tenure of that Assembly will not last for five years. This in itself is a violation of parliamentary democracy, which envisages a tenured legislature,” he said.

He argued that once elections were conducted, the House should have the right to function for the next five years. He alleged that such a proposal, being pushed for administrative convenience rather than constitutional necessity, compromises the basic structure of the Constitution.

Criticising the Bill’s impact on India’s federal structure, Mr. Owaisi said that States cannot be treated as appendages of the Centre. “Parliament is not competent to make any law that violates fundamental rights,” he asserted, even as he accused the government of indirectly introducing a ‘presidential style of democracy’. He maintained that the bill threatens the survival of regional parties. “This Bill will finish off regional parties,” Owaisi said, adding, “It has been brought only to massage the ego of the Supreme Leader.”

Published - December 17, 2024 08:57 pm IST