A reading of Bunch of Thoughts, a collection of writings and speeches of M S Golwalkar, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s second chief, shows he consistently opposed the federal structure of the Indian Constitution. On at least three occasions in two decades, Golwalkar advocated amending the Constitution to provide for a unitary form of government, arguing that only “One State, One Legislature, One Executive” could preserve the “oneness of Bharat.” Golwalkar’s ideas constitute the foundational philosophy of the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

It is instructive to return to Golwalkar in the backdrop of the furious debate over the two bills providing for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies of states and Union Territories, popularly known as One Nation, One Election (ONOE). The BJP’s ONOE proposal is perceived as a threat to India’s federal structure, for the tenure of every state Assembly will be aligned with that of the Lok Sabha, effectively curtailing the former’s autonomous existence. Even more significantly, the national agenda will likely overwhelm state issues in simultaneous elections. People will be prompted to think nationally, not regionally, at the time of voting, obviously, to the disadvantage of regional formations.