By The Sampadak Express
In a significant move aimed at reinforcing the principles of federalism and strengthening the autonomy of States, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday announced the formation of a high-level committee to comprehensively review Centre-State relations. The announcement was made suo motu in the State Legislative Assembly under Rule 110.
The three-member committee will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph, and will include K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty, retired IAS officer and former Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University, and M. Naganathan, former Vice-Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, as its members.
Mandate of the Committee
The high-level committee has been entrusted with a broad and critical mandate, including:
1. Reviewing constitutional provisions, laws, and policies that define the relationship between the Centre and States;
2. Recommending measures to restore subjects that have been moved from the State List to the Concurrent List;
3. Identifying administrative challenges faced by States and suggesting actionable solutions;
4. Proposing reforms to ensure maximum State autonomy without affecting national unity and integrity;
5. Revisiting past recommendations, including those of the Rajamannar Committee, the Sarkaria Commission, and the Punchhi Commission, and analyzing them in the context of current political, social, and economic realities.
Reaffirming the Call for Federalism
Emphasizing the need to uphold federal values, Chief Minister Stalin pointed out that India, having completed 75 years of independence, remains a diverse country with multiple languages, cultures, and communities. He highlighted that the Indian Constitution, shaped by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and others, envisioned India not as a unitary state but as a “Union of States,” upholding federal principles.
However, he expressed concern over what he termed the “systematic erosion” of State rights in recent times. “Today, State governments are forced to fight for even their basic rights from the Union government,” he said. “If the country has to truly progress, it is imperative that all States are empowered with autonomy.”
Historical Context and Unaddressed Recommendations
Mr. Stalin recalled Tamil Nadu’s long-standing advocacy for State autonomy, noting that it was former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi (Kalaignar) who, in 1969, took the pioneering step of forming the Rajamannar Committee, chaired by Justice P.V. Rajamannar, to study Centre-State relations. The committee submitted its detailed report in 1971, and the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed a resolution in 1974 adopting its key recommendations.
Following this initiative, the Union government constituted the Sarkaria Commission in 1983 and later the Punchhi Commission in 2004 to further study the federal structure. “Despite the submission of voluminous reports by these commissions, no substantive action has been taken so far,” Stalin observed.
He also alleged that the present Union government is making attempts to transfer key subjects like Health, Law, and Finance—currently under the State List—into the Concurrent List, thereby further reducing the States’ legislative autonomy.
A Step Towards Restructuring Federal Relations
The formation of this new high-level committee marks Tamil Nadu’s renewed commitment to preserving the federal spirit of the Constitution and ensuring that States have a meaningful role in governance. The recommendations of the committee are expected to serve as a comprehensive blueprint for advocating reforms in Centre-State relations, both within Tamil Nadu and potentially influencing the national discourse on federalism.
