Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has voiced his disapproval of the Central Government’s push for the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill, arguing that amending the Constitution would require a two-thirds majority, which he contends the BJP does not have.
Tharoor stated, “While the current government holds more seats than the opposition, they lack the necessary two-thirds majority to pass this as a constitutional amendment. It would be prudent for them to reconsider their persistence on this matter.”
He emphasized that a significant number of parties in the legislature have expressed strong opposition to the bill. Tharoor noted, “Though the bill has been introduced, many voices in the House have raised valid concerns against it. One critical issue is that it undermines the public’s electoral mandate. The Constitution begins with ‘We the people,’ emphasizing that it is the citizens of India who should decide their government. Picture a scenario where one government must resign simply because another government fails to meet an arbitrary deadline. This concept is fundamentally flawed. In a parliamentary system, fixed terms can disrupt our democratic process. It is vital for the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to engage in comprehensive discussions, but as we’ve seen, there is significant discontent among various parties regarding this approach.”
