‘One Nation, One Election is practical, will not harm federal structure': Law minister Arjun Meghwal

Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday said that the ‘One Nation, One Election’ is “practical and important”, and will be discussed from the start of the new year with the first meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to take place on January 8.

He also expressed the Narendra Modi government's intent to work towards bringing the Uniform Civil Code.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes decisions and takes them in the interest of the country. He thought it is such a decision. When he became PM in his second term in 2029, he called an all-party meeting (on One Nation, One Election), which was attended by party presidents and senior leaders...," he told ANI.

The minister added,"Several steps have been taken. It is practical and it will not harm the federal structure. It will not take away the rights of the voters or the states. The process will be carried out according the Article 368 of the Constitution. It will be done as per union list, state list, concurrent list."

On December 18, the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha amid opposition from the INDIA bloc. It has been referred to the 39-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

Meghwal on Uniform Civil Code

On the Uniform Civil Code, law minister Meghwal told ANI,"The UCC was a part of BJP's manifesto, no doubt about it. We take up things in the manifesto when we think it is possible. States also worked on it. It was already implemented in Goa and Uttarakhand passed the act. The matter is pending with the Law Commission of India, other states are also interested."

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the Lok Sabha that the government was exerting its force to have a “secular civil code”.

“There is a burning issue I wish to discuss, and that is the Uniform Civil Code! This topic was not overlooked by the Constituent Assembly either. The Constituent Assembly engaged in lengthy and in-depth discussions about the Uniform Civil Code. After rigorous debates, they decided that it would be better for whichever government is elected in the future to take a decision on this matter and implement the Uniform Civil Code in the country,” the prime minister had said.

This was a directive from the Constituent Assembly, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar himself had said so. However, those who neither understand the Constitution nor the country, and have read nothing beyond their hunger for power, are unaware of what Babasaheb had actually said. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had strongly advocated for the abolition of personal laws that were based on religious grounds," he added.

(With ANI inputs)