All the major opposition parties opposed the ‘One Nation One Election’ Bill as being “anti-federal”. Samyukt Kisan Morch (SKM), the joint platform of farmer unions, called the move as part of the corporate agenda to create ‘one nation one market’ for facilitating corporate exploitation of the working people by eroding the autonomy and the federal rights of the State governments.

Groundxero | Dec. 17, 2024

The Narendra Modi government today introduced in the Lok Sabha, the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill, seeking to implement simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The Bill was introduced in the Lower House by the Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal after former President Ram Nath Kovind -led committee had submitted its report to the President of India in March, and the Union Cabinet had accepted its recommendation that the polls be held simultaneously in September, this year.

In the Lok Sabha, the Bill has to be introduced through a division of votes after Opposition members insisted on it. While 269 members voted for it, 198 members opposed it. The Bill was ultimately referred to a joint parliamentary committee. Most opposition party leaders in the House opposed the Bill and asserted that it went against the basic structure of the Constitution and was “anti-federal”. Congress party leader Manish Tewari said that the tenure of State Legislatures cannot be subject to the tenure of the Lok Sabha, and called the Bill a case of excessive centralism. DMK MP TR Baalu said, “The electors have the right to elect the government for five years and this right cannot be curtailed with simultaneous elections.”

Samyukt Kisan Morch (SKM), the joint platform of farmer unions, appealed to people to rally against the “One Nation One Election” Bill that harms the interests of workers and farmers. In a press note, SKM called the move as part of the corporate agenda to create ‘one nation one market’ for facilitating corporate exploitation of the working people by eroding the autonomy and the federal rights of the State governments.

SKM called the proposal to hold simultaneous elections to all Panchayats and Municipal bodies as centralization to the extreme and said that it goes against the very purpose of decentralized decision making local bodies. Holding election to the local bodies is under the purview of the State governments and this right is sought to be denied by the BJP-led Union Government.

SKM said that Goods and Services Tax (GST), Digital Agriculture Mission, National Cooperation Policy and Policy Framework on Agriculture Market are part of a larger plan to centralize production, processing and marketing under the corporate forces. “Eroding powers of States will affect development in agriculture, industry and services”, alleged the SKM press note. “The Bill is to undermine the parliamentary democratic system itself and the federal structure of the country”, said SKM.    

SKM pointed out that the implementation of GST in 2017 by the BJP-led Union Government was part of the corporate agenda aimed at denying the taxation right and autonomy of the State Governments that is the backbone of federalism. It said that because of this the State Governments have lost their right of taxation except on petroleum products, alcohol and minerals and thus become financially vulnerable during this period.

Also, the introduction of the ‘Digital Agriculture Mission’ and declaration of the ‘National Cooperation Policy’ in the last Union Budget 2024-25 and now the ‘Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing are part of the strategy of the ‘corporate agenda’ to permit backdoor resurrection of the three farm laws that was aimed at trespassing the rights of the State Governments. The SKM-led farmers’ movement was instrumental in forcing the NDA2 Government to repeal them. 

SKM alleged that through these protracted reforms the corporate forces are denying MSP and Minimum Wage to the working people of India and the BJP and RSS combine is serving the corporate interests thus betraying the interests of the country and the people.

SKM has urged farmers and workers to rally against the One Nation One Election Bill and appealed to all the political parties in the opposition to rally the people on their livelihood issues of MSP, minimum wage, unemployment, price rise and indebtedness among others and to protect the rights of the State Governments by thwarting the game plan to enact ‘One Nation One Election Bill’ for corporate control on economy. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often strongly advocated the idea of simultaneous elections arguing that it will bring down poll-related expenditure as well as reduce the number of days when governance is affected because of the imposition of the model code of conduct (MCC) across the country during polls.

The major opposition parties have vehemently opposed the idea saying that it goes against the guarantees of federalism contained in the Constitution. The Bill had earlier evoked sharp responses from the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, who called the draft Bills “an attack on democracy and federalism”.  

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had said, “This impractical and anti-democratic move will erase regional voices, erode federalism, and disrupt governance. Rise up #INDIA! Let us resist this attack on Indian democracy with all our strength.” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called it “an authoritarian imposition designed to undermine India’s democracy and federal structure”. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called it “an authoritarian imposition designed to undermine India’s democracy and federal structure”.

The Union Cabinet has approved introducing the draconian ‘One Nation, One Election Bill’ in Parliament. This impractical and anti-democratic move will erase regional voices, erode federalism, and disrupt governance.

Rise up #INDIA!

Let us resist this attack on Indian Democracy…

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) December 12, 2024