Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday endorsed his Tamil Nadu counterpart M. K. Stalin’s call for a national dialogue on recalibrating Union–State relations and restoring the constitutional balance of Indian federalism.
Reiterating Karnataka’s readiness to work with Tamil Nadu and other States, Siddaramaiah said unity in a diverse republic like India must rest on constitutional trust and collaborative partnership rather than unilateral assertion.
In his letter dated March 2, he acknowledged receipt of Stalin’s letter dated February 20, along with Part I of the Report of the High-Level Committee on Union–State Relations constituted by the Tamil Nadu government and commended the initiative as a thoughtful exercise aimed at constitutional correction and renewal.
Referring to the framing of the Constitution against the backdrop of Partition and national integration, the Chief Minister noted that the Constituent Assembly had consciously created a Union with unitary features under exceptional historical circumstances.
However, he emphasised that India was envisaged as a “Union of States”, not a unitary state in disguise, and that federalism was designed as a structural safeguard against concentration of power.
Siddaramaiah expressed concern over what he termed incremental centralisation over the decades, citing expansive interpretations of the Concurrent List, conditional fiscal transfers, centrally designed schemes with reduced flexibility for states, and delays in gubernatorial assent to state legislation.
He observed that what was intended as cooperative federalism had increasingly resembled coercive federalism.
Highlighting constitutional provisions, he said the spirit of Article 246 read with the Seventh Schedule, and the framework under Articles 245 to 254, required principled recalibration.
On fiscal federalism, he stressed that Articles 268 to 281, along with the role of the Finance Commission under Article 280 and the GST framework under Article 279A, must not operate in a manner that dilutes the fiscal sovereignty of states.
He also referred to the Supreme Court’s judgment in S.R. Bommai v. Union of India, which declared federalism part of the basic structure of the Constitution.
The Chief Minister stated that Karnataka shared many of the concerns articulated in the Tamil Nadu committee’s report and had consistently asserted the constitutional space of states in matters such as language policy, education, public health, fiscal devolution, and legislative autonomy.
He described these as constitutional claims rooted in pluralism, diversity, and democratic accountability.
Calling for collective action, Siddaramaiah said federal renewal could not remain the endeavour of one or two states but must emerge as a broader national articulation cutting across political affiliations.
The objective, he said, was not to weaken the Union but to right-size it, allowing the Centre to focus on genuinely national priorities while trusting states with constitutionally assigned spheres.
He urged the Union government to provide an institutional platform for structured deliberation, suggesting options such as a revitalised Inter-State Council under Article 263, a special conclave of Chief Ministers, or a formal constitutional review dialogue.
The absence of such engagement, he said, had contributed to the perception that cooperative federalism had receded in practice.
(IANS)
