All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi voiced strong opposition on Monday, January 15, asserting that the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal would jeopardize India’s democracy and federalism. Owaisi, in a letter addressed to Niten Chandra, the secretary of the high-level committee for ‘One Nation, One Election,’ expressed his objections to the proposal, sharing a copy of the letter on social media.
Despite articulating “substantive objections” to the proposal multiple times, Owaisi highlighted that both preliminary and substantive objections were disregarded. In his letter, he underscored the absence of a rationale provided by the government for implementing such a policy, emphasizing the significance of justifying policy decisions in democracies.
Owaisi pointed out that entities such as the parliamentary standing committee, NITI Aayog, or the Law Commission failed to demonstrate the necessity for such a drastic step. He criticized the focus of discussions for centering on the implementation process rather than addressing the fundamental question of why the policy is needed.
Emphasizing the foundational value of electoral democracy in India’s constitutional framework, Owaisi asserted, “Voters are not like rubber stamps. Elections cannot be subject to such weak considerations as administrative convenience or economic viability.”
In questioning the rationale behind the proposal, Owaisi drew attention to the potential absurd consequences of making constitutional decisions based on financial or administrative considerations. He posed thought-provoking queries, asking whether one should abolish permanent civil services or the police due to costs or cease the recruitment of judges due to pending cases.
