PP Chaudhary’s big statement on cancellation of JPC meeting

New Delhi. Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which is examining the Constitution Amendment Bill related to ‘One Nation, One Election’ and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP PP Choudhary on Monday clarified his position on the controversy over the proposed informal meeting. He said that the date of the proposed meeting on October 6 was not fixed by the committee itself, but the Supreme Court itself had earlier fixed this time for talks. Later, when the Supreme Court decided to cancel the meeting, the Parliamentary Committee also canceled its proposed tour and meeting. Talking to the media, PP Chaudhary said that many misconceptions are being spread regarding this matter. He said that no unilateral decision was taken by the committee, rather the entire process was carried forward on the basis of official communication received from the Supreme Court.
According to Chaudhary, on 22nd September an email was sent by the Supreme Court to the director of the committee. In this email, information was given about organizing a meeting on October 6 at 4:30 pm. Based on this official information, the committee informed its members about the meeting and started further preparations. He said, “Many members were not aware that the meeting had been fixed by the Supreme Court itself. Through an email dated 22nd, the Supreme Court informed our Director that it has fixed the meeting on the 6th at 4:30 pm. When the Supreme Court later canceled the meeting, we also canceled it and issued a notice to all the members. Since the meeting was initially scheduled by the Supreme Court, The court had decided, so we had informed all the members accordingly.”
PP Chaudhary clarified that the committee only followed the schedule set by the Supreme Court. According to him, when the court later decided to cancel the meeting, the committee also canceled its program without any delay and informed all the members about it. The Joint Parliamentary Committee related to ‘One Nation, One Election’ is these days studying the proposed Constitution Amendment Bills and various legal, administrative and constitutional aspects related to them. The committee is also receiving suggestions from different institutions, experts and concerned parties so that comprehensive discussions can be held on the topic.
In recent times, controversy had arisen at the political level regarding the proposed informal meeting of the committee. Some opposition members had raised questions regarding the process of the meeting and its organization. It is in this background that PP Choudhary publicly clarified that the meeting was not initiated by the committee, but on the basis of time fixed by the Supreme Court. He said that the parliamentary committee always respects the constitutional institutions and communication with them is also done as per the prescribed procedure. Any type of program is decided by the committee only after receiving official information.
The proposal of ‘One Nation, One Election’ is related to the concept of holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies of all the states in the country. The Central Government has introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill on this subject, for the review and examination of which a Joint Parliamentary Committee has been formed. The responsibility of the committee is to seek the views of various stakeholders and present its report before the Parliament. PP Chaudhary said that the objective of the committee is to carry out its work with complete transparency. He indicated that the committee will continue to communicate with various experts and institutions and all processes will be completed as per the prescribed rules.
He also said that after the cancellation of the meeting, the committee has not announced any alternative program. The schedule of future meetings and dialogue will be decided on the basis of consultation and availability with the concerned parties. Amidst this entire development, PP Chaudhary’s statement is being considered important because it has made an effort on the part of the committee to make it clear that the proposed meeting of October 6 was not the result of any unilateral decision. According to him, the schedule of the meeting was decided on the basis of the Supreme Court’s email and after the court canceled the program, the committee also immediately canceled its program. At present, the work of the Joint Parliamentary Committee is going on on the bills related to ‘One Nation, One Election’. The committee is studying the suggestions and legal aspects of various parties. At the same time, after this clarification by PP Choudhary on the controversy arising over the proposed meeting of October 6, the further political reaction on this issue will also be monitored.