M K Stalin: BJP wants to bring one-party rule via ONOE
CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday flayed the BJP government at the centre on the ‘one nation, one election’ (ONOE) proposal, and said the plan could lead to erosion of federalism and consolidation of power in the hands of one individual.
“We should oppose ‘one nation, one election’ plan of the BJP because it wants to bring one party rule in the country. The BJP government wants one religion, one language, one culture, uniform dress code, and one cuisine.
That’s why it wants to thrust simultaneous polls on the nation,” Stalin said at the third state conference of the DMK’s legal wing held in Chennai on Satutday. He called upon BJP’s allies and all democratic forces to oppose the move and save the country and the Constitution.
The BJP wants to destroy the states in order to establish one government at the centre, the CM said. “This is the BJP’s long term plan. It wants to thrust simultaneous polls to create a situation for a single poll for the entire nation.
This will pave the way for unitary rule in the country,” he said. “The move would lead to conferring powers on one individual, which is not good even for the BJP. The amendment would be useful to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi a dictator but it does not augur well for democracy,” the DMK president said.
“BJP allies that are supporting the party for political reasons should not fall into the trap of BJP and the organisations that control it. It may be your prerogative to support the BJP, but I urge you through this meeting to oppose the move,” he said.
The CM accused the BJP of leveraging misinformation campaigns to further its agenda. “Their strategy includes spreading falsehoods, using the media to frame debates, and deploying WhatsApp propaganda,” Stalin said.
“Our legal wing must counter these tactics and defend the Constitution and democracy,” Stalin added.
He further said that it was beneficial for the Dravidian ideology and for exposing the BJP to have RN Ravi continue as governor of TN. Stalin said that while the governor’s actions were anti-federal and tried to falsely portray the DMK as anti-constitutional, his conduct inadvertently highlighted the relevance of Dravidian policies and strengthened the party’s commitment to state autonomy.
Stalin also lauded the contributions of the legal wing in defending the party’s ideals and championing the welfare of the people. “This wing has played a crucial role in defending our activists and advancing social justice,” Stalin said.
He highlighted the key legal battles fought by the DMK’s legal wing including cases against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the farm laws, and NEET. “It was our legal wing that ensured the 27% reservation for OBCs in medical education and recovered land for the Kalaignar Centenary Park. The wing’s achievements, including additional 5,500 medical seats annually for TN, stand testament to our commitment to social justice,” he said.
Former CEC S Y Quraishi pointed ‘with great anxiety’ that what happened in Kashmir could happen anywhere. ‘With one stroke, Kashmir became a union territory. Can they not do it to Tamil Nadu tomorrow,’ he asked.
A resolution was adopted at the meeting urging the Union government to withdraw the ‘ONOE’ draft. Four more resolutions, including one against Governor RN Ravi and another thanking the CM for introducing bills to ensure stringent punishment for sexual harassment, were also passed at the meeting. Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP, N R Elango, also spoke.