Chidambaram: ONOE assault on Constitution

Hyderabad :Senior Congress leader and CWC member P. Chidambaram came down hard on the BJP’s One-Nation One-Poll (ONOE) plan, terming it an assault on the Constitution.

“We reject the idea. It requires five constitutional amendments and the BJP doesn’t have the strength to pass the Bills,” Chidambaram said on the sidelines of the CWC meeting on Saturday.

Chidambaram said that the BJP was hampering states that had Congress governments.

“We feel there is a challenge to the Constitution and federalism. State governments have been hamstrung and obstacles are being placed before them. The Karnataka government was denied rice by the FCI (Food Corporation of India), which has been instructed to refuse allotment although the state is willing to pay. Likewise, the CM of Himachal tells us that they are being denied disaster relief funds. Even a child knows why this is happening,” he said.

Criticising the handling of the Manipur situation, Chidambaram questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had yet to visit the state, despite “having the time to visit several countries”.

He said that even as the Centre, in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, claimed normalcy in Kashmir, three security personnel, a colonel, DSP and rifleman, were killed by terrorists.

“China has added another dimension to the security challenge and has refused to budge a single inch from the land encroached. Our demand for status quo ante has been rejected, but the PM said in the all-party meeting on January 19, 2020, that there are no foreign troops in our territory. This has emboldened them,” he said.

After social situations, Chidambaram said that there was concern on the economic front too. Citing high interest rates as indicators of high inflation, he said that exports are falling for a seventh consecutive month.

On the agenda in the ensuing Parliament session, Chidambaram said, “The government has not responded to a letter written by Sonia Gandhi seeking a debate on nine issues. Of the issues, the government has indicated it will deliberate on appointment of election commissioner which we feel is an assault on democracy.”

On the Sanatana Dharma row, he said, “I am not speaking for DMK, but what they meant is they are not opposed to any religion but are opposed to caste oppression and impediments placed on lower castes in the name of hierarchy.”