Voices of Resistance: States Unite Against Attacks on Federal Principles

The seminar on ‘Attacks on Federalism’ as part of the 24th party congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] saw a strong criticism of the regressive policies pursued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led union government in undermining federal principles and democracy.

Since the BJP assumed power in 2014, the centre-state relationship, in political, fiscal and economical aspects has hit new lows. The unfair treatment of the opposition-ruled states, even during natural disasters have hampered the rebuilding and rehabilitation efforts. The reduction in share of funds has severely affected the capacity of the state governments to ensure social welfare measures for the poor and to develop infrastructure.

Prakash Karat, coordinator of the CPI(M), Pinarayi Vijayan and M K Stalin, chief ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and Dr M C Sudhakar, minister of higher education in the government of Karnataka unequivocally criticised the BJP government for withholding revenue share for the states, using governors as roadblocks to development works, and imposing legislations without consulting the state governments.

Legal Struggle of State Governments

Several state governments, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka have been waging legal battles against the BJP led union government for their share of revenue and aid during natural disasters.

Addressing the seminar Prakash Karat said, “The government of Karnataka approached the Supreme Court to get drought relief while the governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have not received any funds for flood relief works, despite the intervention of the courts”.

By doing so, the BJP government is destroying the core basis of the federal principles and has reduced the states to subordinates despite India being a union of states. Further, the governors appointed in such states are challenging the government, duly elected by the people.

“The viceroys appointed by the BJP government—the governors—are overwriting the activities and decisions of the elected legislatures. At this crucial juncture, we have to defend federalism, which is a defense of democracy”, Prakash Karat said.

Expanding Concurrent List

The BJP government has been making serious attempts to move towards a unitary nation, by formulating legislations affecting the rights of the state. The Concurrent List, part of the seventh schedule of the Indian constitution outlines the subjects on which both the union and state governments can legislate.

Pinarayi Vijayan during his address spoke in detail about the expanding number of subjects in the Concurrent List.

“The ever-expanding Concurrent List leads to incursion into the States' legislative domain. It is also pertinent here to mention that there is no consultation with the States when the Union enters into international treaties which affect the States in a substantial manner like depressing the price of farm products”, he said.

The formation of the department of cooperatives and renaming of the Human Resource Development Ministry as Department of Education would lead to severe consequences and curtail the rights of the state governments.

With several higher education institutions formed and substantially funded by the state governments, the draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations literally strip the rights of the state governments in matters including the appointment of the vice-chancellors.

Freebies and Necessity

Several right wing thinkers and leaders of the BJP, including the prime minister have aired their concerns about the freebie culture. They literally target the socially and economically backwards sections of social welfare measures, including old age pensions, disability pensions and widow pensions.

The double standards followed by the union government in setting borrowing limits for the state governments and itself has led to the states suffocating due to shortage of funds for several developmental projects.

While the welfare measures to the poor are branded as freebies, the concessions extended to the corporates and super-rich, including tax cuts, loan waivers are termed a necessity.

“The fact that this is happening at a time when the top 1 % had the income and wealth shares at 22.6% and 40.1% respectively in 2022-23, in India, as revealed in a study by a group of economists at the World Inequality Lab in 2024, makes the matter assume serious proportions”, Pinarayi Vijayan pointed out.

The union government includes the borrowings by the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) of the state government in the fiscal deficits, but the union government does not include their SPV borrowings in the fiscal deficit, exposing another double standard of the BJP regime.

BJP Regime Destroying Identity and Culture of States

The inability of the BJP to win a simple majority in the 2024 general elections has not deterred their attempts to move towards a unitary state by attacking the federal principles, plurality and diverse culture prevailing in the country.

The efforts to provide citizenship based on religion, plans to hold simultaneous elections to state legislature and Parliament, priority to Hindi over other official languages, and interference with the right to food are considered steps towards the making of a Hindu Rashtra.

Recalling the contributions of Sitaram Yechury, the former general secretary of the CPI(M), M K Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, called up on democratic forces to unite in the fight against the BJP and Sangh Parivar organisations.

“We (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam [DMK]) and CPI(M)) are together in the fight against the fascistic BJP regime. They want to destroy the states, race, languages, cultural diversity and constitutional bodies to create a unitary state with one supreme leader”, he said.