New Delhi [India], December 17 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kalyan Banerjee on Tuesday said that the 'One Nation, One Election' bill hits at the basic structure of the Constitution and alleged that the government wants to change the constitutional structure.
He said there is an attempt to move towards a presidential form of government in the country.
"It hits the basic structure of the Constitution. It is contrary to Article 83 sub-article 2(1)... Thirdly, the state assembly will depend upon the desired doctrine of the central parliament. Whenever the parliament will dissolve, then all state elections have to be done. State assembly and state government are not subordinate to the Parliament and the central government. They have their respective jurisdiction... After it comes into force, if a state government fails, then for that state another election has to be done for the unspent period. They want to change the constitutional structure. It is trying to take a presidential form of the government into the country," Banerjee said.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the 'One Nation, One Election' bill.
In a post on X, he said the bill for simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies seeks to rob the people of their fundamental right to vote regularly.
"The BJP's brazen attempt to introduce a constitutional amendment bill today, while the constitution debate is still underway in Parliament, is nothing short of an unashamed attack on democracy. The One Nation One Election bill seeks to rob the people of their fundamental right to vote regularly," Banerjee wrote in his post.
He termed voting rights as the power that holds governments accountable and prevents unchecked power and claimed that the bill is a direct "assault" on the foundation of India's democracy.
Earlier today, The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024' was introduced in Lok Sabha following a division.
The bill proposes 'One Nation One Election' or simultaneous elections to both Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The bill will be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.
In the division, 269 members voted in favour of the bill's introduction and 196 against it.
Opposition members opposed the introduction of the bill with some of them seeking its withdrawal and others demanding that the bill should be sent to JPC.
Home Minister Amit Shah said that when 'One Nation, One Election' Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, PM Modi had said that it should be sent to the JPC for detailed discussion.