Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday, 23 August, criticised the Union government for alleged discriminatory practices in the devolution of taxes and revenue from the Centre to the states.
Delivering the inaugural address at the National Seminar on Union–State Relations at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, Stalin said Tamil Nadu was not receiving its rightful share of funds despite being one of the largest contributors to taxation through GST and direct taxes.
He urged all states to constitute high-level committees on Union–State relations, asserting that only a strong framework of state autonomy and cooperative federalism could safeguard India’s unity and diversity.
“We will make every effort to ensure that the Constitution of India is amended to enshrine the principles of state autonomy and federalism. Weak states cannot strengthen India. A united India will gain strength only through the efforts of self-reliant states,” he said.
This follows the announcement in April of a three-member high-level committee in Tamil Nadu, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph, to study Union–State relations over the past 50 years.
Stalin praised Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Kurian Joseph, Ashok Vardhan Shetty and Naganathan, who are leading the panel, and expressed confidence that their recommendations would “pave the way for a stronger India built on genuine federal principles”.
The Chief Minister accused the BJP-led Union government of systematically undermining state powers through “innumerable legal and administrative interferences”. He further alleged that the Centre was curtailing the independence of Finance Commissions.
Reiterating Tamil Nadu’s traditional opposition to the imposition of Hindi, Stalin recalled that the bilingual policy introduced by former Chief Minister C N Annadurai in 1968 had since found resonance in several other states. He pointed to recent anti-Hindi agitations in Karnataka, West Bengal and Maharashtra as evidence of Tamil Nadu’s influence on the national stage.
During the event, Stalin also launched a dedicated web portal and online questionnaire to gather views from citizens and experts. He emphasised that public participation would play a key role in shaping the Committee’s recommendations and building momentum for a nationwide movement towards cooperative federalism.
with inputs from IANS