'One Nation, One Election' concept is anti-federal, anti-democratic: CPI-M

The concept of 'One Nation, One Election' is "fundamentally anti-federal and anti-democratic and strikes at the root of a parliamentary democratic system," said Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), on Wednesday.

Keeping his point in the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss 'One Nation, One Election' concept among other things here, the CPI-M opposed the move stating that "simultaneous elections will enhance the role of the Governor and the Central intervention in the system."

"Apart from technical issues involved in the holding of the simultaneous elections to the Parliament and state Assemblies, our opposition to this is based on the fact that it is fundamentally anti-federal, anti-democratic and strikes at the root of the parliamentary democratic system, as ordained in the Constitution," said Yechury.

Yechury said that elections were simultaneous when the Constitution was adopted and was segregated after the "misuse of Article 356" by the Central government

Article 356, also known as the President's Rule, deals with the "failure of constitutional machinery in the State."

He said that holding Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections together would mean "tampering with the Constitutional scheme of accountability of the government to the legislature."

He also termed NITI Aayog's proposal to implement the President's Rule if the Lok Sabha is dissolved and less time is left for the next elections, saying that "this outrageous proposal will make the President the head of the executive. This is bringing an executive Presidency through the back door."

He also opposed the new elections after the Lok Sabha elections, saying that "there would be frequent elections, which defeat the purpose of holding simultaneous elections."

Turing down the proposal of Governor's Rule after the dissolution of the State assembly, the CPM leader said: "It would mean the Central rule."

The all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Modi to discuss the concept of 'One Nation, One Election' was skipped by a few other major parties.

The Congress-led UPA and the Trinamool Congress have opposed the concept. Newly appointed leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Ahir Ranjan Choudhary told reporters after a meeting of the UPA chaired by Sonia Gandhi here on Tuesday that the parties were opposed to the idea in principle.

( With inputs from ANI )