Stalin to engage in fresh battle with Centre? Tamil Nadu CM likely to make an announcement on state autonomy today

In his fight for federal rights, after the language policy and delimitation issues, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is all set to pick up Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam’s state autonomy weapon. Stalin is likely to make an announcement on state autonomy in the Tamil Nadu Assembly today.

On March 25, while responding to a special mention on the two-language policy, Stalin said that he would soon make an announcement on state autonomy. Being a strong advocate of state rights and federalism, in the footsteps of former chief ministers C.N.Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, Stalin has been of the opinion that federalism is India’s strength. “I am firm that we can protect the Tamil language and uplift Tamils only if we ensure state autonomy and uphold the rights of the states. I will soon come out with an announcement for that purpose,” he said while speaking during the two-language policy debate. 

Recently, speaking at the CPI(M) party congress in Madurai, Stalin said that “the effort towards a singular order of governance will only strengthen one person and associates closer to the power. Kootatchi kotpade Indhiyavin valimai (federalism is India’s strength).” 

In its manifesto in the run-up to the 2021 assembly elections, autonomy for state governments was one of the major promises. The manifesto made the demand for state autonomy more specific - to bring education from the concurrent list to the state list. Stalin had also brought the chief ministers of other southern states and Punjab to fight against the proposed delimitation exercise.

One of the key ideologies of the DMK is state autonomy. Former chief minister Karunanidhi, in 1969, set up a committee headed by Justice P.V. Rajamannar to study the centre-state relations. The committee was tasked to study the centre-state relationship and propose constitutional amendments to strengthen the state's autonomy.

The committee submitted its report in 1971 and made several recommendations highlighting the need for a more balanced relationship between the union and the states. The Rajamannar committee strongly advocated for the establishment of a permanent inter-state council to facilitate coordination and cooperation between the Centre and the states; making the finance commission a permanent body to address fiscal imbalances between the Centre and the states and limiting the use of president’s rule to situations of complete law and order failure in a state, vis-a-vis limiting just to Articles 356, 357 and 365 of the Constitution.

Stalin’s announcement today in the state assembly is likely to touch all these recommendations, in the wake of the Supreme Court laying down procedures for the governors and the president to clear the bills passed by the legislative assembly. 

India