Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday took a hard hit at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over the 'one nation, one election' issue, saying it is not possible under the present Constitution and requires at least five constitutional amendments.
On a question on reports that the BJP-led NDA government would implement 'one nation, one election' within its current tenure, he said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have the numbers to place those constitutional amendments either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.".
The prime minister made a strong pitch for 'one nation, one election' in his Independence Day address last month, contending that frequent polls were creating hurdles in the country's progress.
Speaking to reporters here, Chidambaram said, "One nation, one election is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments".
"Mr Modi does not have the majority to put those constitutional amendments in either in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha," former Union minister said.
He claimed that there were greater constitutional obstacles to 'one nation, one election'. "It is not possible. The INDIA bloc is totally opposed to 'one nation, one election."
He rebutted Modi's charges that the Congress wanted to scrap reservation, asking, "Why should we abolish reservation?"
"We are the ones who are saying that the reservation ceiling of 50 per cent must be removed. We are the ones who are asking for a caste census. We are saying reservation must be according to the population. Do not believe everything the prime minister says," he told the reporters.
Launching a blistering attack against the Congress, Modi said the "royal family" of the party had plans to scrap reservation for Dalits. Asserting that as long as he was there he would not let even a fraction of the reservation given by B R Ambedkar be looted or removed, Modi launched the biggest attack on the Congress since he began his campaign here. PTI.
On whether the Congress would announce its chief ministerial candidate for the October 5 Haryana assembly polls, he said, "The practice is that elections take place, MLAs gather and their preferences are asked. Then the high command announces who will be the chief minister. I think the same practice will be followed in Haryana."
Everything that the PM says is not necessarily true. I do not agree," Chidambaram said on Modi's accusation of financial mismanagement by Congress governments in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
Himachal Pradesh finances are being managed and I do not think that they have a management crisis of finances, he said.
Don't believe everything Modi says because he spoke about tax on buffaloes, 'mangalsutras' being taken away and properties being redistributed during the Lok Sabha elections campaigning, he said.
All that was "rubbish electoral rhetoric", Chidambaram said, adding, "It was said a few months ago but the people of India did not believe it".
Talking about Karnataka, he asked which "guarantee" was not fulfilled by the Congress government.
"But what about the promises made by Mr Modi? Has he implemented all promises? Has Mr (Manohar Lal) Khattar implemented the promises which he made in 2014. Do not compare one state with another," he said.
At a rally in Kurukshetra, Modi said the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana by making false promises, and has now "destroyed" the states which used to be prosperous.
On Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu's "terrorist" remark against Rahul Gandhi, Chidambaram said, "I do not take Mr Bittu as seriously. My suggestion is that you (the media) should ignore him."
On Arvind Kejriwal announcing resignation as the chief minister of Delhi, he said, "It only concerns the people of the national capital.".
"They have elected him as chief minister. If he wants to resign then I think the people of Haryana have no concern or any interest in it," he said.
He also clarified that AAP is not ally of Congress in Haryana and the INDI Alliance was just for Lok Sabha polls.
"We will contest on the policy platform. I am confident that the Haryana people will support the Congress," he said.
He has been one of the sternest critics of the BJP government in the state on issues of unemployment, agriculture, and the state debt.
He appealed to the people to vote for the Congress in the Assembly elections and promised that his party would bring back growth in Haryana, give a fillip to development, agriculture, and industry, and tackle issues of unemployment and inflation.
"The BJP boasts of a double-engine government. One engine is without fuel and the other is completely broken down. What is the use of such a double-engine government? The time has come to junk the two engines," Chidambaram said.
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