'One Nation, One Election' against federal structure, practically impossible: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Sep 18: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said, 'one nation, one election' is against the federal structure and practically impossible to implement, as he termed the Union cabinet's decision to accept the recommendation in this connection as a "gimmick" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cover up his failures.
The Congress party will oppose the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, which carries the hidden agenda of the ruling BJP, both inside and outside the Parliament, Siddaramaiah said. The public opinion across the country is also against the proposed system.
Moving ahead with its "one nation, one election" plan, the union government on Wednesday accepted a high-level panel's recommendations for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise.
"The One Nation, One Election proposal approved by the Union Cabinet is not only against the federal structure but also practically impossible to implement. The fact that such an important proposal is being rushed through without any consultation with opposition parties reveals the malicious intent of the Narendra Modi government," Siddaramaiah said in a release.
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It seems the central government and the Prime Minister lack even basic knowledge of what should be the priorities of a government, he said.
"Unemployment is rampant across the country, inflation is destabilizing the economy, and people are suffering due to rising prices of essential commodities. Law and order has broken down nationwide, with atrocities against Dalits and women reaching alarming levels," he alleged.
"Instead of addressing these pressing issues, the Prime Minister is trying to divert public attention with the gimmick of 'One Nation, One Election' to cover up his failures," he added.
In its report submitted to the government in March, just before the general election was announced, the panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind had recommended implementing "one nation, one election" in two phases -- simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the first phase and elections for local bodies like panchayats and municipal bodies within 100 days of the general election in the second phase.
It also recommended a common electoral roll, which would need coordination between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and state election commissions.
The 'One Nation, One Election' system ws entirely anti-democratic, the CM said, adding, the proposal offers no solution to the crisis that would arise if the ruling party in either the Lok Sabha or a state assembly loses a vote of confidence.
"In such cases, a midterm election is the only proper solution. Allowing a minority party that has failed to win a vote of confidence to remain in power would be a betrayal of the democratic system," he said.
The current Election Commission does not have the capacity or resources to conduct simultaneous elections for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies across the entire country, Siddaramaiah said. The electoral system would need to be expanded to double its current capacity, which cannot be done in haste.
"For a new electoral system to be implemented, amendments must first be made to the Representation of the People Act. In addition, at least five chapters of the Constitution would need to be amended. Even for the NDA, it would be difficult to get the necessary support to pass constitutional amendments under the current system," he opined.
"Despite knowing all this, the Narendra Modi government has approved this proposal just to create confusion among the people and cover up its failures," he alleged.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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