One Nation One Election will open new avenues, speed up country's development: Kalraj Mishra
Addressing an event at the Constitution Club in the national capital on Friday evening, Mishra said Lok Sabha and assembly polls were done simultaneously without any hiccup till 1967, since the first polls in independent India in 1952, as everyone was in support of simultaneous polls, be it the then ruling Congress or Communist parties.
'Everyone supported it, beyond political affiliations, be it then Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru or, Communist leaders...,' the former union minister said.
He said the trend was 'broken' due to many reasons.
'It was broken as some new states were formed, and their assembly elections were held... then ruling Congress dismissed the opposition ruled state governments by misusing Article 356; general elections were preponed in 1972... term of Lok Sabha was also increased by an year to 6 years during Emergency...,' said Mishra said, who was the Governor of Rajasthan from 2019 to 2024.
Simultaneous polls across the country will significantly reduce poll expenditure and manpower. This is not about any political party, ONOE is 'essential for the country's development,' he stressed.
Mishra said it is fully 'according to the Constitution' and said the opposition parties should be asked which schedule of the Constitution forbids the ONOE.
The senior leader recalled that even in 1983, the Election Commission felt the need to rethink on the simultaneous polls and said it was essential for the country. He said NITI Aayog in 2016, and other government commissions have also endorsed the ONOE.
The 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill for simultaneous national and assembly polls was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December last. It was later referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. The Modi government had formed a High-level Committee on simultaneous Elections, under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind, who submitted over 18,000-page report to President Droupadi Murmu in March last year.
Earlier, the former governor condoled the loss of lives in the deadly crash of London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad on Thursday. He also remembered the former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who also died in the deadly crash.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
11 hours ago
- Global News
Trump to meet NATO secretary general as plan takes shape for Ukraine weapons sales
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to meet President Donald Trump this week on the heels of the U.S. leader announcing plans to sell NATO allies weaponry that it can then pass on to Ukraine. NATO announced on Sunday that Rutte will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and would hold talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as members of Congress. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the visit. A top ally of Trump, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said Sunday that the conflict is nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back Russia. It's a cause that Trump, who during his campaign made quickly ending the war a top priority, had previously dismissed as being a waste of U.S. taxpayer money. 'In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves,' Graham said on CBS' 'Face the Nation. He added, 'One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table.' Story continues below advertisement The Rutte visit comes as Trump last week teased that he would make a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday and as Ukraine struggles to repel massive and complex air assaults launched by Russian forces. Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who appeared with South Carolina lawmaker on CBS, said there is also growing consensus on Capitol Hill and among European officials about tapping some of the $300 billion in Russian assets frozen by Group of Seven countries early in the war to help Ukraine. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's time to do it,' Blumenthal said. Rubio said Friday that some of the U.S.-made weapons that Ukraine is seeking are deployed with NATO allies in Europe. Those weapons could be transferred to Ukraine, with European countries buying replacements from the U.S., he said. 'It's a lot faster to move something, for example, from Germany to Ukraine than it is to order it from a (U.S.) factory and get it there,' Rubio told reporters last week during visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu in an interview published Sunday in La Tribune Dimanche said that European officials have been making the case to the Trump administration to bolster air defense capabilities with any coming packages. He added that France is in a 'capacity hole' and will have to wait until next year before being able to provide Ukraine new ground-air missiles. Story continues below advertisement Trump is also facing calls from Republicans and Democrats as well as European allies to support legislation in the Senate that aims to cripple Russia's oil industry and hit Moscow with U.S. sanctions for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The legislation, in part, calls for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. It would have an enormous impact on the economies of Brazil, China and India, which account for the vast majority of Russia's energy trade. 'The big offender here is China, India and Brazil,' Graham said. 'My goal is to end this war. And the only way you are going to end this war is to get people who prop up Putin— make them choose between the American economy and helping Putin.' That revenue is critical in helping keep the Russian war machine humming as the U.S. and Europe have imposed significant import and export bans on a wide range of goods to and from Russia, affecting sectors like finance, energy, transport, technology, and defense. Trump for months had threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia's oil industry. But the Republican leader has become increasingly exasperated with Putin in recent days and has laid into the Russian leader for prolonging the war. 'We get a lot of bull—- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,' Trump said last week in an exchange with reporters. 'He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.' Story continues below advertisement Congress has been prepared to act on the legislation, sponsored by Graham and Blumenthal, for some time. The bill has overwhelming support in the Senate, but Republican leadership has been waiting for Trump to give the green light before moving ahead with it. The White House had expressed some reservations about the legislation. Trump made clear he wants full authority over the waiver process to lift the sanctions, tariffs or other penalties, without having to cede control to Congress. Under the initial bill, the president 'may terminate' the penalties under certain circumstances, but immediately reimpose them if the violations resume. Graham has said the president would be allowed to waive the sanctions, for 180 days, and could also renew a waiver. Some Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns about the waivers. But Blumenthal downplayed the differences and said the legislation would give Trump a 'sledgehammer' to utilize on Putin. 'The waiver language we will have in this bill is very much like the provisions have existed in past similar measures,' Blumenthal said. He added: 'What I think is most important right now is our unity.'
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump to meet NATO secretary general as plan takes shape for Ukraine weapons sales
BRIDGEWATER, NJ (AP) — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to meet President Donald Trump this week on the heels of the U.S. leader announcing plans to sell NATO allies weaponry that it can then pass on to Ukraine. NATO in a statement said Rutte will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and would meet with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as Congress. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the visit. The visit comes as Trump last week teased that he would make a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday and as Ukraine struggles to repel massive and complex air assaults launched by Russian forces. Rubio said Friday that some of the U.S.-made weapons that Ukraine is seeking are deployed with NATO allies in Europe. Those weapons could be transferred to Ukraine, with European countries buying replacements from the U.S., he said. 'It's a lot faster to move something, for example, from Germany to Ukraine than it is to order it from a (U.S.) factory and get it there,' Rubio told reporters last week during visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu in an interview published Sunday in La Tribune Dimanche said that European officials have been making the case to the Trump administration to bolster air defense capabilities with any coming packages. He added that France is in a 'capacity hole' and will have to wait until next year before being able to provide Ukraine new ground-air missiles. Trump is also facing calls from Republicans and Democrats as well as European allies to support legislation in the Senate that aims to cripple Russia's oil industry and hit Moscow with U.S. sanctions for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The legislation, in part, calls for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. It would have an enormous impact on economic behemoths China and India, which account for roughly 70% of Russia's energy trade. That revenue is critical in helping keep the Russian war machine humming as the U.S. and Europe have imposed significant import and export bans on a wide range of goods to and from Russia, affecting sectors like finance, energy, transport, technology, and defense. Trump for months had threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia's oil industry. But the Republican leader has become increasingly exasperated with Putin in recent days and has laid into the Russian leader for prolonging the war. 'We get a lot of bull—- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,' Trump said last week in an exchange with reporters. 'He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.' Congress has been prepared to act on the legislation, sponsored by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, for some time. The bill has overwhelming support in the Senate, but Republican leadership has been waiting for Trump to give the green light before moving ahead with it. The White House had expressed some reservations about the legislation. Trump made clear he wants full authority over the waiver process to lift the sanctions, tariffs or other penalties, without having to cede control to Congress. Under the initial bill, the president 'may terminate' the penalties under certain circumstances, but immediately reimpose them if the violations resume. Graham has said the president would be allowed to waive the sanctions, for 180 days, and could also renew a waiver. ______ Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed reporting.
Canada News.Net
18 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Federal court upholds birthright citizenship, handing Trump a setback
CONCORD, New Hampshire: A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a crucial ruling on July 10 against President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at terminating birthright citizenship in the United States. Judge Joseph LaPlante granted a preliminary injunction that prevents the order from going into effect nationwide, thereby protecting the rights of many children. This injunction was part of a class action lawsuit that includes all children who would be affected by the executive order, which has sparked significant legal debate since its announcement. The ruling followed an hour-long court hearing and includes a temporary seven-day stay to facilitate an appeal process. The implications of this decision could lead the birthright citizenship matter back to the Supreme Court, where the justices may need to consider whether the executive order aligns with their recent ruling that limited judges' authority to issue nationwide injunctions. While the Supreme Court clarified that district judges generally could not issue universal injunctions, it did leave open the possibility for similar results through a class action. The class action certified in New Hampshire is somewhat narrower than the plaintiffs had hoped for, as they sought to include parents in the legal challenge. However, attorneys involved in the case noted that this distinction would not materially impact the case's overall intent. Cody Wofsy, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the ruling's broader implications, asserting it will safeguard all affected children across the nation from what he termed an unconstitutional executive order. A coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union and additional legal partners filed this lawsuit. It represents various plaintiffs, including a pregnant woman and parents with infants. The focus of the legal challenge revolves around the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which states that all individuals born or naturalized in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens. In its defense, the Trump administration interprets the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" as permitting the denial of citizenship to children of unauthorized immigrants. While Judge LaPlante noted that he found the government's arguments to be serious, he ultimately deemed them unconvincing. He stated that the threat of losing citizenship constitutes irreparable harm, emphasizing the significant value of citizenship itself. In contrast, a White House spokesman criticized LaPlante's ruling, suggesting it was an abuse of judicial process and pledging that the Trump administration would staunchly defend its immigration policies. Meanwhile, similar legal challenges are underway in various states from Washington to Maryland. Among the plaintiffs is a woman from Honduras, due to give birth soon, who fears for her family's safety due to potential immigration enforcement. Another plaintiff, a Brazilian man, and his wife are navigating their own immigration status as they prepare for their first child. "My baby has the right to citizenship and a future in the United States," he wrote.
