Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury declines to be part of 'one nation, one poll' panel

New Delhi, September 2

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday declined to be part of the ‘one nation, one election’ committee questioning its purpose and terms of reference.

“I have no hesitation whatsoever in declining to serve on the Committee whose terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions. It is, I am afraid, a total eyewash,” Adhir said in a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah.

Adhir added that the “sudden attempt to thrust a constitutionally suspect, pragmatically non feasible and logistically unimplementable idea on the nation, months before the general elections, raises serious concerns about ulterior motives of the government”.

He questioned the exclusion of incumbent leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from the committee and said, “This is a deliberate insult to the system of Parliamentary democracy.In these circumstances, I have no option but to decline your invitation.”

The panel includes former Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.