President Murmu bats for ‘One Nation, One Election’

New Delhi: Batting for “One Nation, One Election”, President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said it had the potential to redefine “good governance” in the country.

In her address to the nation ahead of the 76th Republic Day, she said, “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.”

Citing the replacement of the British-era criminal laws with three new modern laws, she said:” We won freedom in 1947, but many relics of the colonial mindset persisted among us for long. Of late, we have been witnessing concerted efforts to change that mindset... Reforms of such magnitude require an audacity of vision.”

She said the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam prioritise the delivery of justice over mere punishment and place a strong emphasis on addressing crimes against women and children.

Reflecting on the significance of the Constitution, the President highlighted the progress achieved over the past 75 years.

Insisting that the Constitution provided the ultimate foundation of our collective identity as Indians, she said justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity had always been a part of the country’s civilisational heritage.

‘Living document’

The Constitution, she said, had evolved into a living document that serves as the foundation of India’s collective identity and has guided the nation’s progress over the past 75 years.

“It also explains why the critics cynical about the Constitution’s and India’s future were proven so thoroughly wrong,” she said.

Noting the contributions of farmers and labourers, she said India’s economy now plays a pivotal role in global economic trends, asserting that this transformation is rooted in the framework established by the Constitution.

The President also pointed to the persistently high economic growth rate in recent years, which has generated job opportunities, increased income for farmers and labourers, and lifted many out of poverty.

Efforts to support marginalised communities, particularly those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), were also highlighted.