Comments by "Arunabha Ghosh" (@orunabho) on "Why consensus on one country, one election is impossible | ep 193" video.

  1. Since the constitution is not a divine book, but an agreed up laws and frameworks, written down to make it objective - made by citizens for citizens, Let us change it for good. For example, instead of the parliamentary election open to citizens, we could have a Union President, the executive, elected by the state legislators. And the council of CMs - almost acting like the US Senate - passing laws, checking and approving what the executive is doing. The President and his office is then a purely executive body. The council of CMs - almost always in office - with one or two getting elected now and then asynchronously will not be a problem then. Actually, we can extrapolate the idea - and allow citizens to directly elect only the local councillor. And the local councillor then is responsible for each and every service provided to the citizens. The elected councillor then can elect the MLAs etc.
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  2. Maybe, we should change our constitution itself. It is quite difficult to figure it out - which government is responsible for what services - local municipality, state government or the central government... I am sure it does not occur to us when we go for voting. For example, law-and-order is 100% state subject, any breakdown in there - the state CM is responsible - not the PM. Education is mostly a state subject. Agriculture is again a state subject. If the roads in our locality are not maintained properly, if garbages are not cleared regularly - no way the PM can fix that. For all practical purpose, the central government is far removed from the life of a common citizen...beyond such things like income tax or corporate taxes. Ideally again the income/corporate tax should have clear partitions like GST - state and central components. States are real, the central government is almost virtual - managing armed forces, foreign affairs, overall financial system etc
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  3. As far as the electoral bond is concerned - do you mean this - if Shekhar Gupta had bought an electoral-bond for CPI(M), we all should know that - or for that matter President of India, Governors of States, Army Chiefs, IAS and other such administrators??? paying your hard earned money is stronger than just voting - revealing your political inclinations...and particular so in India - where it is tu tu mai mai
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  4. Another point is - the state government is actually closer to the people than the central government. Majority of administrators managing the election process are from the state government and state government school and college teachers - and most importantly, the state police are controlled by the state CM, not the PM. This is a reason why anti-national with anti-democratic ideology parties like the communists can sabotage and rule a state almost indefinitely. West Bengal is such an example... central govt is not a thread, but a state govt. is.
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