One Nation One Election bills BJP's political game: Tripura CPI(M)

Agartala, Dec 17 (PTI) Tripura CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury on Tuesday alleged that the introduction of the One Nation One Election (ONOE) bills in Parliament was a "political game of the BJP to befool people".

Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections were introduced in Lok Sabha after a fiery debate on Tuesday, with the opposition terming the move "dictatorial" and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal asserting that the legislation would not tamper with the powers enjoyed by states.

Addressing a party programme at Kailashahar in Unakoti district, Chowdhury said the BJP has tabled the One Nation One Election bills in Parliament despite knowing that it will not sail through because the "NDA does not have required numbers either in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha".

"The BJP-led NDA needs the support of 362 MPs in Parliament to get the bills passed but it has only 293. This is nothing but a political game and conspiracy to befool the 140 crore people of the country. If the bills stall, the BJP will launch a campaign that it had tried but could not because of opposition's anti-ONOE stand," he alleged.

Chowdhury also slammed the BJP's logic behind holding simultaneous elections in the country to save crores of money.

"Who spends crores of funds to contest elections? Who forms the government even after facing electoral defeat? It is the BJP, which spends crores of money to win elections," he alleged.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Meghwal after a nearly 90-minute debate, followed by a division of votes. As many as 269 members voted in favour of the Bill and 198 against it.

Meghwal also introduced The Union Territories Amendment Bill, which seeks to align elections in the Union territories of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir with the Lok Sabha polls.

He said the proposed bills did not attack the "basic structure doctrine, as claimed by the opposition". PTI PS ACD