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"Pakistan will be brought to its knees....": Hardeep Puri at CU's 'One Nation, One Election' Symposium

Chandigarh University Hosts Symposium on 'One Nation, One Election' to Explore Electoral Reforms

"One Nation, One Election" will prove to be most important reform for the country, says Rajya Sabha MP, Satnam Singh Sandhu

Babushahi Bureau

Chandigarh, April 26, 2025: Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said Pakistan will be brought to its knees so that the neighboring nation will never think of Pahalgam terror attack like despicable acts again. 

Speaking at a Symposium on “One Nation One Election: Reshaping India’s Electoral Landscape” organsied at Chandigarh University, the Union Minister said, “In 1947, two nations (India and Pakistan) were born from the womb of the same mother. Here we are the fifth largest economy in the world and the other country which believes in using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.  While one country (India) is succeeding and the other country is witnessing terminal decline. Previous governments used to only condemn the terror attacks like the one on Indian Parliament and we use to get back to business as usual.  But this time it is different as we have decisive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi in his statement has categorically said that Pakistan will face the consequences of the act of terror. It is for the first time that India has decided to make Pakistan pay through the cancellation of Indus Valley treaty which governments in the past never considered as a reciprocal action. A country in decline (Pakistan) will be brought to its knees so they never think of such despicable acts again,”. 

While Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, attended the Symposium as Chief Guest, the other dignitaries who graced the Symposium organised by the University Institute of Legal Studies included Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chandigarh University Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu, Pro-Chancellor, Punjab convenor for One Nation One Election and former former state home secretary, SS Channy and Chandigarh University, Prof (Dr) Himani Sood. Students of UILS presented some facts during the symposium that how One Nation One Election will be a game changer for World’s biggest democracy. 

On proposed ‘One Nation One Election’, Singh Puri said “Election expense is only one part of the proposal for One Nation One Election but it’s absolutely true that it’s also very important because the same money can be used to social upliftment and education. One nation one elections will not benefit the ruling party; this discussion is about democracy. What makes India or Bharat tick, we are not more than just biggest democracy but we are the mother of democracy as the oldest democracy.  

According to IMF, we will be the fourth biggest economy in a very short period of a few months and third largest economy by 2027-28.  The economic growth requires an enabling environment. The states which provide good enabling environment for entrepreneurs and good law and order are more successful,”.

"One Nation, One Election a Transformative Step Toward Stability and Growth, says Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu

In his address, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chandigarh University Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu expressed condolences to the martyrs and their families of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam which he said has shocked the whole country.

Describing the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill as a transformative, forward-looking, and landmark initiative, in his address, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chandigarh University Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu said, “I think this is the biggest issue, because we have to present India to the world as a strong nation. As the world’s largest democracy, India’s vibrant electoral framework empowers citizens to actively shape governance. After Independence, elections to the Centre and States were held simultaneously for several years. But over time, this practice eroded, and today, elections occur almost every few months — unlike countries such as the United States, where elections are held at fixed intervals every four years. Frequent elections in India lead to administrative disruptions, heavy financial burdens, and policy inaction.

Believing in reform, performance, and change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has championed the idea of “One Nation, One Election” to address these challenges. In the last 10 years, many reforms have taken place on a large scale in our country, but among those reforms, "One Nation, One Election" will have special importance. The proposal envisions synchronizing Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections in the first phase, followed by elections for local bodies in the second phase,”.

“One Nation, One Election will lead to greater stability and significant cost savings. Today, huge sums are spent on conducting separate elections — with Lok Sabha 2024 alone estimated to have cost around Rs 1.35 lakh crore. Merging elections could drastically cut these costs. More importantly, it would allow governments to focus consistently on development and governance, minimizing policy paralysis. According to the Kovind Committee report, simultaneous elections could boost India's real GDP growth by 1.5 percentage points, translating to Rs 4.5 lakh crore in 2024 — an amount equivalent to half of India’s public spending on health and one-third of spending on education. Thus, the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ will not only save resources but also strengthen governance and accelerates the nation's progress,” he added.

Punjab convenor for One Nation One Election and former former state home secretary, SS Channy said, “The expenditure on elections has increased manifold over the years. During elections, a large number of government employees and security forces have to be deployed to carry out duties and many developmental works and governance get affected adversely. Due to imposition of Model Code of Conduct for a long time, many works also get stopped. We elect the government for five years, but more than half of the time is spent holding elections. In five years, the Model Code of Conduct remain imposed in different parts of the country for more than 800 days. One Nation, One Election is not a political program and everyone needs to participate in it,”.