Centre-state relations


Louise Tillin’s article “The centralizing instinct”*(The Hindu, November 28) opens a debate on right notes and needs to be taken forward. Many things have changed in India in the last 65 odd years after ‘We The People’ gave the Indian Constitution to ‘Ourselves’. To look at some select areas, for the first two decades that followed the adoption of the constitution, the country at national and state levels was ruled by Congress, the size of the economy which was small in 1950’s has now grown multi-fold and geographical divisions too have undergone changes.  All these call for appropriate adjustments in resources mobilization and its distribution, sharing of responsibilities between Centre and states and a re-working of the federal system of governance which we accepted in the first place.
In 2014, Modi coined the new concept of cooperative federalism and it was best suited for India in the given circumstances. The Prime Minister needs to be credited with follow up efforts in this direction. But, the political system, of which his party (BJP) is a major participant now, was not supportive of the PM’s somewhat ‘consensus’ approach to economic development. This article could form the basis for building up a healthy debate on the structural and legislative changes necessary for a reasonably rational sharing of resources and power between Centre and the states.

M G Warrier, Mumbai 
Blog Post No:244928112016
*Link provided above.

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