Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday declined an invitation to be part of the 8-member committee formed by the Union government to examine the 'One nation, One election' concept. This comes after the Centre announced its eight-member committee to explore the move which aims to hold simultaneous elections for local bodies, states, and the Centre. Meanwhile, the Congress has also raised objection to
The committee, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind as Chairman, named Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and former Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, among others as members.
Turning the invitation down, Chowdhury in a letter to Union home ministry wrote: "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."
"Moreover, the sudden attempt to thrust 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 argued.
He pointed to the exclusion of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge from the panel and termed it as a "deliberate insult to the system of Parliamentary democracy."
Similarly, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal took to X and wrote, "We believe that the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections is nothing but a systematic attempt to sabotage India's parliamentary democracy."
He also termed Kharge's exclusion from the panel as a "shocking insult to Parliament".
"In a shocking insult to Parliament, the BJP has appointed a former LOP to the Committee instead of Rajya Sabha LOP Sh. Mallikarjun @kharge ji. First, they bring this gimmick to distract from the Adani Mega Scam, unemployment, price rise and other pressing issues of the people. Then, to make matters worse, they try to tilt this committee's balance by excluding fierce opponents. What is the reason behind Kharge ji's exclusion? Is a leader who has risen from such a humble background to the top post of India's oldest party, leading the entire opposition in the Upper House, an inconvenience for the BJP-RSS?" Venugopal added.
Centre's Panel On 'One Nation, One Election'
The committee also comprises former secretary-general of the Lok Sabha Subhash C Kashyap and senior advocate Harish Salve, with Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal serving as a special invitee.
As per the resolution issued by the Union Ministry of Law, the committee's mandate includes examining and proposing recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the House of the People (Lok Sabha), State Legislative Assemblies, Municipalities, and Panchayats.
This examination involves considering the existing framework under the Constitution of India, other statutory provisions, and recommending specific amendments to the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and related rules and regulations.
The committee is also tasked with assessing whether the proposed constitutional amendments would require ratification by the states and suggesting potential solutions for situations arising from simultaneous elections in the context of a hung House, adoption of no-confidence motions, defection, or other similar events, as mentioned by the ministry.
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