New Delhi [India], April 22 (ANI): As the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on ‘One Nation, One Election’ is underway, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kamaljeet Sehrawat on Tuesday said that One Nation, One Election is the basic mantra of the country’s Constitution.
“One Nation, One Election is the basic mantra of the country’s Constitution. When India became independent, from 1952 to 1967, the policy of ‘One Nation, One Election’ was followed. However, after 1967, due to the wrong decisions of the then government, the country had to go through different elections. Today the situation is that in the last 30 years, every year there is election of some assembly or Lok Sabha, due to which people lose interest in voting…’One Nation, One Election’ is the need of this country today, and JPC took many suggestions regarding this and will still go among the people… This is a very good thing, and this should happen. Also, it is a very good move for the JPC to take suggestions from the common people,” Sehrawat told ANI.
Earlier today, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ PP Chaudhary said that the JPC all-state visit on ‘One Nation, One Election’ will begin from Maharashtra on May 17, followed by Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Punjab.
“The committee believes that it should visit all states and hear their opinions, which is why the tour is being organised. Maharashtra will be covered first on May 17-18, then Uttarakhand between May 19 and 21. Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh (Punjab and Haryana) will be covered in June, according to different categories. Everyone will be heard, whether a celebrity, a sports person or anyone else, to know the thoughts of the people of the country, and will this be beneficial for the country?” he said.
Reacting to the website launch, PP Chaudhary said that there should be “transparency” and the entire Committee has agreed on this.
“There should be transparency. The entire Committee has agreed that we must keep transparency. The website will facilitate opinions from all the stakeholders. The committee took decisions on two major things — the advertisement will be printed in all languages so that all stakeholders can give their opinions… Secondly, the website will facilitate inputs from all stakeholders… This is being examined by the Secretary General… The development of technology is taking time to ensure the website doesn’t crash… The website will be launched soon with a QR code facility. Suggestions will be collected, and Parliamentarians will review them,” he added.
PP Chaudhary further asserted that in today’s meeting, former judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Hemant Gupta, along with Justice SN Jha, Dr BS Chauhan, and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi will be there for the interaction.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ is underway and will continue till 5 pm.
In the first session, there will be an interaction with Justice Hemant Gupta, former judge of the Supreme Court. This will be followed by a session with Justice SN Jha, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The next session will include Dr Justice BS Chauhan, former Supreme Court judge and Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India. The final session will be with Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajya Sabha Member and Senior Advocate.
On March 25, the JPC held an important meeting that lasted over five hours. Several MPs in the committee raised concerns about the practicality of holding Lok Sabha and state elections together.
The Constitution Amendment Bill on ‘One Nation, One Election,’ currently under review by the JPC, proposes aligning the election cycles of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. (ANI)