Modi govt. continues to trouble Oppn. Ruled States thorough legislative and administrative interferences: Stalin

Charging the Modi Government of continuing to trouble and unsettle the opposition-ruled states through both legislative and administrative interferences, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday reiterated that it was also undermining the independence of the Finance Commissions to deny the rightful share of revenue for the States.

“Even though the Sarkaria Commission constituted in 1983, to study the entire gamut of Centre-State relations, had highlighted the dangers of excessive and unrestrained centralisation, the panel had failed to recommend requisite constitutional amendments to empower States. But successive governments have only brought in legislations and amendments to vest in the Union Government more and more powers,” the Chief Minister said, addressing the inauguration of the National Seminar on Centre-State Relations.

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He lamented that the key recommendation of the Punchhi Commission, formed at the insistence of the DMK in 2007, that Governors should be appointed in consultation with the respective Chief Ministers has never been implemented. A case in point is the present Tamil Nadu Governor and his partisan actions, he added.

Recalling the previous DMK governments’ efforts to secure more powers for the States in the true spirit of federalism, he recalled DMK founder and late Chief Minister CN Annadurai’s clarion call in 1967 for reviewing the Constitution and DMK patriarch and late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s initiative in setting up the Justice Rajamannar Commission on Centre-State relations in 1969. Now, his government has constituted the Justice Kurian Joseph panel to study and review the same.

On financial devolution from the central pool, Stalin accused the Modi government of discriminating against the state by denying its due share even though Tamil Nadu contributed significantly through both direct taxes and GST. This is due to the Modi government acting with narrow political motives, he said, adding that a united and stronger India could be built only with strong and self-reliant states and not otherwise. He urged other States to join Tami Lanu by setting up similar committees to study Centre-State relations and come out with recommendations to carry forward the demand for true federalism. “All those who are committed to national unity should extend solidarity to the cause of State autonomy,” was his plea to other states and his counterparts. On the language front other states like Karnataka, West Bengal and Maharashtra joining Tamil Nadu in resisting Hindi imposition by the Union government was a welcome one, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, former Supreme Court Judge, Justice J Chellameshwar, appealed to Stalin to engage with his counterparts in other states to make this initiative on reviewing centre-state relations a truly federal one. He also compared the American federation, formed through a bargain between states, whereas in India there was no such thing.

Justice Kurian Joseph, former Judge of the apex court and Chairman of the High-Level Committee on Union-State Relations, constituted by the Tamil nadu Government, made it clear that it was the Constitution that had constituted the nation. India is not a country without it and those who hold aloft the ‘nation first’ slogan should understand this. When we say nation first, it is actually, the Constitution first.”