Stalin Stresses On Constitutional Amendment
Chennai: Emphasizing the need for a Constitutional amendment that would make the principles of federalism their tradition, Prime Minister MK Stalin asked people who cross political boundaries to accept State autonomy as a fundamental principle, as it would make it easier for people speaking different languages and coming from different races, religions and cultures to protect their rights and feelings.
Presenting the first part of the report of the High Level Committee on Union-State relations, headed by former Justice Kurian Joseph, to the State Assembly on Wednesday, Stalin regretted that the States were now at the mercy of the Union Government, which wielded all powers.
If Tamil Nadu is making progress in social justice, education, health, economy and infrastructural facilities, it is despite all these limitations, he said.
However, as this trend cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely, especially in an environment where the Union Government has usurped all the powers of the state governments one after another and the State alone lacks the authority to meet the needs and aspirations of the people, the DMK, which had to take the initiative for the introduction of State autonomy in the country, had to take the historic step of initiating a debate on a Constitutional amendment to grant full autonomy to the States.
In order to find a way out with the all-powerful Union Government, with its autocratic attitude, refusing to respect State governments and expecting them to submit to the Union, the Tamil Nadu government has set up a high-level committee, comprising Justice Kurian Joseph, former IAS officer Ashok Varadan Shetty and former State Planning Commission chairman M Naganathan, to prepare a report on Union-State relations, he said.
Submitting the report to the Speaker, Stalin asked him to pave the way for ending the sovereignty of the Union Government and granting autonomy to all the States, who should together run the Union Government in the spirit of true federalism, and put an end to the current situation where the Union is the giver and the States are the receivers.
Describing state autonomy as the will and last testament of DMK founder CN Annadurai, he said former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi gave the slogan ‘Manilathil Suyatchi, Mathiyal Kootatchi’ (Independent government in the States and coalition rule at the Centre). Therefore, he said, it is the duty of the DMK government to give life to Annadurai’s will and realize Karunanidhi’s dream because DMK is not a government that will turn everything upside down.
The flowering of state autonomy and a coalition government to rule the nation has been given an opportunity by history to the DMK and this cannot be achieved by anyone else other than the DMK, he said, adding that the rulers in New Delhi must be constantly reminded that federalism is a defense for the nation and not a concession to the States.
He said the report presented in the Assembly incorporated time-tested processes and procedures adopted by mature nations in India following federal principles of unity, integration, pluralism and responsible democratic principles and it was everyone’s responsibility to accept it with an open mind, reflect on it and bring it at par in Centre-State relations.
He said that the Union and State governments are not rivals but stakeholders in the same structure in which the nation can grow only if the States develop and the current discussions on strengthening the Constitution are being conducted in this context.
