'One Nation, One Election' undermining India's federal structure: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) : People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday criticized the NDA government, accusing it of destroying the Indian Constitution with its proposal for 'One Nation, One Election.'
Speaking at the PDP General Council Meeting in Srinagar, Mufti said that India's federal structure was at risk due to the proposal.
"Unfortunately, the NDA government is destroying the Constitution of India day by day. India is a federal country. There is a federal structure here. One Nation, One Election is undermining this federal structure," she said.
Mufti also expressed concerns about the country's trajectory under the current government, claiming that while the government spoke of ambitions for 2047, it is leading the country "backwards."
"They talk of 2047, but instead of moving forward, they are going backwards... They want to take us back to the same dictatorship, which I think is very wrong," the PDP leader said.
PDP chief Mufti also spoke about the party's stance and recalled the party's past efforts, particularly the implementation of the self-rule framework, despite lacking a majority to pass the resolution.
"We did not have the majority to pass a resolution. Despite that, without passing a resolution, we implemented self-rule... Self-rule means that there should be de-facto freedom in Jammu and Kashmir," she said.
Mufti also addressed the concerns of party delegates regarding their current position and seat count, urging them not to be disheartened.
"All the delegates present here should not be worried (about low seats). This is a test... We never went to BJP; they sent their general secretary to have a conversation with us... If we want to pull J&K out of quicksand, then we will have to work exactly how we did in 1966," she added.
The 'One Nation One Election' bill was approved by the Union Cabinet On December 12, paving the way for its introduction in Parliament. However, before its introduction in the Parliament, the bill initiated debate between the ruling and opposition parties.
Several parties of the INDIA bloc opposed the bill while the BJP-led NDA alliance parties welcomed this bill, saying, it would save time and lay the groundwork for unified elections across the country.
Notably, in September this year, the Union Cabinet approved the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, which aims to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, along with urban body and panchayat polls, within 100 days.
The recommendations were outlined in a report by a high-level panel chaired by former President Kovind. Following the Cabinet's approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the decision, calling it a significant step towards enhancing India's democracy.
