"One Nation, One Poll Bill Aligned With Ease Of Elections": Law Minister
NDTV
The Law Minister's response followed a furious pushback from the opposition after the bill - which seeks to amend the Constitution to permit simultaneous central and state elections - was tabled.
A proposal to hold simultaneous federal and state elections - the contentious 'one nation, one poll' proposal - is a long-pending piece of electoral reform and will not damage or tamper with the Constitution, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Lok Sabha Tuesday afternoon.
"Laws can be brought in for electoral reforms... this bill is aligned with the process of easing the electoral process, which will be synchronised. There will be no damage to the Constitution via this Bill. There will be no tampering with the basic structure of the Constitution," Mr Meghwal said.
"We are not tampering with the powers of the states," he asserted, after which he proposed that the bill be sent to a joint parliamentary committee - as was expected - for wider consultation.
