Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has made it clear that a new law should be brought to ban party defections and that no matter how many people change parties, they should resign from their position. He said that only if a strict law is implemented to prevent party defections the system of changing parties will end.
He expressed his concern that there are loopholes in the existing laws and they should be changed after looking into them. He warned that party defections are against democracy. Participating in an event held in Vijayawada on the issue of “One Nation, One Election”, he said that in the past, political parties used to go to elections based on their agenda.
But, he deplored that now they are going with the names of only a few leaders. He said that they used to say that they would do these things if they came to power. But, now, changing parties has become a habit.
He advised that the political parties should act by observing the change in the people. He expressed concern that an MLA spends Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 crore in elections. If they invest that much money, he cautioned that they only look at it to get it back if elected. He cautioned that people should think about the fact that we are voting for our future.
In the 2019 general elections, he said that Rs. 55,000 crores were estimated as expenditure. In the 2024 elections, Rs. 1.35 lakh crores were confirmed to have been spent. “We know what politicians do by going door to door. If they are counted.. then there is no need to say. That is why the cost of the government and politicians will be reduced through the one nation, one election system”, he added.
Venkaiah Naidu recalled that a committee headed by Ramnath Kovind had studied this. Since technology has increased, he said that conducting elections will become even easier. He urged that everyone should support one nation, one election and contribute to the development of the country.
He deplored that there are also those who have incited hatred among people in the name of caste and benefited. He made it clear that political interests should be put aside and temporary gifts should be stopped. People should also not destroy the future of their children by hoping for freebies, he added.
