New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu weighed in on the One Nation One Election plan on Saturday, expressing the hope it would benefit the country in many ways.
The plan to hold Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) elections simultaneously can “promote consistency in governance, prevent policy paralysis, mitigate resource diversion, and reduce the financial burden, apart from offering many other benefits,” the President said in her televised address to the nation on the eve of India’s 76th Republic Day.
The Bill was introduced in Parliament in December.
Murmu praised the government for bringing in reforms.
Citing the scrapping of British-era criminal laws, Murmu observed that the government was making efforts to change the colonial mindset that “lingered in the country for decades.”
“We got freedom in 1947, but many relics of a colonial mindset persisted among us for long. Of late, we have been witnessing concerted efforts to change that mindset. Among the most noteworthy of such efforts was the decision to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam,” Murmu said.
“Based also on Indian traditions of jurisprudence, the new criminal laws place the delivery of justice instead of punishment at the centre of the criminal justice system. Moreover, the new laws grant top priority to countering crimes against women and children,” she added.
On One Nation One Election, the President said: “Reforms of such magnitude require an audacity of vision. Another measure that promises to redefine the terms of good governance is the bill introduced in Parliament to synchronise election schedules in the country. The One Nation One Election plan can promote consistency in governance, prevent policy paralysis, mitigate resource diversion, and reduce the financial burden, apart from offering many other benefits.”
Murmu said the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj was an expression of India’s civilisational heritage. “India is a hub of great linguistic diversity. An exciting array of initiatives is underway in the domain of culture to preserve and revitalise our traditions and customs,” Murmu said.
“At the time of Independence, many parts of the country faced extreme poverty and hunger. However, we maintained a belief in ourselves and created conditions for growth,” Murmu said on the significance of the Constitution over 75 years.
The President said India’s high growth rate in recent years resulted in increased income for farmers and labourers, generated job opportunities, and pulled many out of poverty.
Murmu reminded citizens about the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom, while highlighting the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda.
She hailed the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Babasaheb Ambedkar for uniting India in a well-organised independence movement and helping rediscover its democratic values.
“Justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity are not just modern concepts, they have always been integral to our civilisational heritage,” she said.
She also spoke of the role being played by women in the nation’s progress.
“When women’s equality was a distant goal in many parts of the world, Indian women were actively engaged in the nation’s destiny,” she said, adding that 60 per cent of teachers today were women.
