TN CM Stalin slams 'one nation, one election' pitch

The BJP government's push for "one nation, one election" is a blatant attempt to undermine the nation's federal structure, DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin alleged in Chennai on Sunday.

It is a move towards centralised power that goes against the essence of India, a union of states, he said. "This abrupt announcement and the subsequent high-level committee formation only fuel suspicions. #OneNationOneElection is a recipe for #dictatorship, not #democracy," Stalin said on X.

Addressing a gathering at a marriage, the DMK chief said a panel formed for this purpose has been carried out in an autocratic manner to achieve what the BJP regime already intended and "for a conspiracy (towards a despotic regime)". The DMK, the third largest party in Parliament, does not have a representation in the committee, he said.

He slammed the main opposition AIADMK for supporting the proposal, though it opposed such a move while in power. Eventually, the AIADMK would become a scapegoat, he said hinting that the proposal, if fructified would boomerang on the AIADMK.

"If implemented, not only the DMK, no other political party will be able to function. It will become a one-man show," he said in an apparent remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Stalin wondered if the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and other state governments would be dismissed to facilitate state elections as well alongside the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The DMK assumed power in May 2021 and it has only completed two-and-a-half years of its tenure, he pointed out.