As an alternative of the excessive constitutional supreme of cooperative federalism, centrist state-state relations are taking a flip towards “coercive federalism,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated in a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Okay. Stalin, praising him for the “Report of the Excessive-Stage Committee on Union-State Relations.”
Karnataka shares the considerations raised by the committee chaired by Justice Kurian Joseph and believes that whereas all states should “cooperate in a constructive federal dialogue no matter their political affiliation”, the Middle ought to present an institutional platform for such engagement, Siddaramaiah stated in a March 2 letter to Stalin in response to the Tamil Nadu CM’s letter forwarding the report.
“What was supposed as cooperative federalism is more and more resembling coercive federalism. The spirit of Article 246 as learn within the Seventh Schedule and the fragile symmetry envisaged underneath Articles 245 to 254 now requires a principled recalibration,” the Congress CM instructed the DMK supremo whereas referring to the primary half of Justice Kurian Joseph’s panel report submitted to the latter lately.
“We’ve got constantly emphasised that fiscal federalism should align powers and tasks,” Siddaramaiah stated. “Articles 268 to 281 can’t be operated in a fashion that undermines the fiscal sovereignty of the State, when interpreted within the mild of the position of the Finance Fee underneath Article 280 and the GST framework underneath Article 279A.”
In line with Siddaramaiah’s letter, Karnataka, like Tamil Nadu, has actively asserted its constitutional rights in areas similar to language coverage, training, well being, fiscal devolution, and legislative autonomy. “At this juncture, I consider it’s important that every one states, no matter their political affiliation, cooperate in a constructive federal dialogue. Federal renewal can’t be an remoted effort of 1 or two states, however should emerge as a collective consensus.”
The aim of the state is to not weaken the Union, however to focus the nation’s energies on really nationwide priorities and be sure that the state is trusted with areas constitutionally entrusted to it, repeating Stalin’s said place.
The Middle wants to offer an institutional platform for states to deliberate on federalism – “via a revitalized inter-state council underneath Article 263, a particular assembly of the prime minister, and a structured constitutional evaluate dialogue…the place states can formally, transparently and deliberatively submit their suggestions,” he stated.
“The shortage of such structured engagement contributes to the notion that cooperative federalism is retreating from actual observe. Mature federations thrive on negotiated preparations, not unilateral assertions,” Siddaramaiah stated.
“The unity of a various republic like India is sustained not by uniformity however by constitutional belief. Our federal association should evolve from hierarchical oversight to cooperative partnership, from central dominance to coordinated pluralism, and from aggressive grievances to shared governance,” he stated.
“Karnataka stands prepared to have interaction constructively with Tamil Nadu and different like-minded states in advancing an knowledgeable nationwide dialogue to revive steadiness in Union-State relations,” he wrote.
In April 2025, citing considerations concerning the erosion of state energy, Stalin introduced the creation of a three-member fee, chaired by former Supreme Court docket decide Justice Kurian Joseph, to evaluate the connection between centrist states and advocate measures to strengthen states’ constitutional rights.
1971 Centrist Nationwide Committee
Justice Kurian Joseph’s panel report was modeled on the 1971 report of the centrist State Relations Fee of Inquiry (Rajamanar Fee) submitted to the then Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi.
Within the context of the then Congress-dominated Middle and states, the 1971 Fee noticed that “quickly after the Structure got here into drive, there was a rising recognition that the Middle had robust management not solely over common coverage but in addition in areas that belonged completely to the states, and that there was an inclination on the a part of the Middle to manage the states and severely affect their autonomy.”
a rustic dominated by an opposition celebration
Greater than 50 years later, some governments apart from the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering, particularly in southern India, are calling for concerted motion to counter the over-centralization of economic energy by the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering-led central authorities led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now in his third time period.
Finance ministers of 5 non-BJP dominated states (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Punjab) met in Thiruvananthapuram on September 12, 2024 to debate the difficulty of ‘financial federalism’ through the sixteenth Finance Fee consultations.
“States with excessive GDP per capita, like Karnataka, are deprived by their financial efficiency as they obtain unfairly low tax allocations,” Siddaramaiah stated on the time.
Forward of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu staged protests in Delhi over what they known as the tightening of economic assets underneath the Modi authorities.
Discussions on the September 2024 assembly centered on elevating the share of states within the divisible central tax pool from 41% to 50%, halting the Centre’s rising dependence on taxes and levies, and addressing considerations that the GST regime limits fiscal autonomy and requires larger flexibility.
Tamil Nadu introduced that its share has come down from 7.93% underneath the ninth Finance Fee (FC) to 4.07% underneath the fifteenth Finance Fee in 2024. Karnataka stated its share declined from 4.71% underneath the 14th FC to three.64% underneath the fifteenth FC.
Karnataka estimates that the loss to the exchequer will quantity to round Rs 1,870 crore because of discount within the share of divisible tax pool and what it calls flawed implementation of GST. Siddaramaiah stated that though the Union price range doubled between 2016-17 and 2022-23, there was no commensurate improve within the grants allotted to states.
