Union minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday spoke in favour of the ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal to hold simultaneous elections in the country, saying that “elections are only the means to an end, the means cannot be the final object”.
“It is of utmost importance to have one uniform voter list for the country,” Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said at a symposium titled ‘One Nation, One Election—Need of the Hour’, organised by Lawyer’s Voice at the Delhi High Court.
An organisation that works to promote the interests of the legal fraternity, Lawyer’s Voice was founded by Delhi High Court judge Justice Ajay Digpaul, along with others.
“We have an independent judiciary, an impartial Election Commission…Our Constitution envisages a social, economic and political justice for all…I ask myself then, what is our priority to achieve constitutional principles? Is it governance or to be elected? Our priority is to establish a governance model in our country…but because of consequent elections, the priority for our political parties remains to be elected, it should instead be the means to an end…The end is to implement our constitutional principles,” Yadav said.
He also referred to electoral roll revisions, saying, “The speedy change that is being made (with voter roll revisions) is to ensure that the voter list must be finalised. It is of utmost importance to have uniformity in voter lists in this country. And to have uniformity, it is only fair that it be published and that objections be sought on it. But now some are objecting to the process of seeking objections.”
Dismissing the Opposition’s objections to ‘One Nation, One Election’ and criticism on non-consultation of stakeholders, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said at the event that consultations with political parties, as well as feedback and suggestions from the public and experts, have indicated that a majority are in favour of the policy.
“All this means the public too wants it…When everyone is saying they want it, some do not want [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi ji to do good work. And they need to be stopped,” added Meghwal.
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Armed Forces Tribunal chairperson and former Delhi High Court Chief Justice, Justice Rajinder Menon, Law Commission member Hitesh Jain, and Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma also spoke at the symposium.
