{"id":46409,"date":"2025-04-29T01:38:44","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T20:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=46409"},"modified":"2025-05-17T21:56:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T16:26:48","slug":"tamil-nadus-fresh-push-for-state-autonomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/tamil-nadus-fresh-push-for-state-autonomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Tamil Nadu&#8217;s Fresh Push for State Autonomy: Echoes of Rajamannar Committee"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>State Autonomy in India Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Rajamannar Committee&#8217;s Observations on Centre-State Relations<\/li>\n<li>Renewed Push for Federalism<\/li>\n<li>State Autonomy in India FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>State Autonomy in India Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Citing concerns over the erosion of state powers, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has set up a high-level committee led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph to review Centre-State relations and suggest ways to strengthen states&#8217; constitutional rights.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Nearly 50 years ago, then CM C N Annadurai had formed a similar committee under Dr. P V Rajamannar to recommend measures for maximizing state autonomy without compromising national integrity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Rajamannar Committee&#8217;s Observations on Centre-State Relations<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Rajamannar Committee noted a growing dominance of the Centre over the States, with state-specific matters increasingly controlled by the Centre, often because the same party ruled both levels of government.<\/li>\n<li>Though initiated during Annadurai\u2019s tenure, the Rajamannar Committee report was submitted under M Karunanidhi&#8217;s leadership to then PM Indira Gandhi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>De Facto Centralisation of States<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The committee argued that although the Constitution appeared federal, its practical implementation had reduced States to mere administrative units of the Centre.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Constitutional Provisions Enabling Central Control<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The report cited Articles 256, 257, and 365. These provisions gave sweeping powers to the Centre.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Centre could issue directions to the States and enforce them.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The committee said President\u2019s Rule was used as a drastic and unprecedented constitutional weapon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Key Recommendations<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Repeal Article 356 to prevent misuse of President\u2019s Rule.<\/li>\n<li>Establish a robust Inter-State Council under Article 263 to resolve Centre-State differences through dialogue rather than coercion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Criticism of Extra-Constitutional Institutions<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Rajamannar Committee criticised the rise of bodies like the Planning Commission, created by an executive order and not by the Constitution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Central Control Through Financial Powers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The committee noted that discretionary grants from the Centre gave it a &#8220;whip in its hands,&#8221; allowing it to control States through financial dependence.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It argued that this made the constitutionally mandated Finance Commission irrelevant and reduced States to &#8220;suppliants for aid&#8221; in their own areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Erosion of Federal Balance<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The report warned of a growing <strong>&#8220;Triple&#8221; threat<\/strong>\u2014central planning, massive grants, and party politics\u2014which was steadily eroding the federal structure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Increasing Central Interference<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The committee observed that the Centre\u2019s frequent involvement in State matters created the impression of an anxiety to exercise overall supervision, undermining State autonomy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Rethinking the Idea of a Strong Centre<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Rajamannar Committee challenged the notion that centralisation strengthens India.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It warned that by taking on too many responsibilities, the Centre risks becoming weak.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>True strength, it argued, lies in restraint and clear focus, not in expansionism.<\/li>\n<li>Quoting C N Annadurai\u2019s 1967 speech, the report stressed that while the Centre must have enough powers to safeguard India\u2019s sovereignty.\n<ul>\n<li>It should not encroach on subjects like health and education, which do not contribute to national security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Renewed Push for Federalism<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Half a century later, the Stalin-led DMK government is once again questioning the Centre-State balance, amid disputes over NEET, GST compensation, delimitation, and language policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Mandate of the New Committee<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The newly formed committee will review the current legal framework and suggest measures to restore the rights of States within the constitutional setup.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Uncertain Impact<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>It remains unclear if New Delhi will act on the new committee\u2019s recommendations, as the Rajamannar Report and later reviews by the Sarkaria and Punchhi Commissions were largely ignored.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>A Call for Cooperation<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The spirit behind these efforts echoes Annadurai\u2019s 1967 vision of strengthening Centre-State relations through mutual goodwill and understanding.<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>State Autonomy in India FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is the Rajamannar Committee?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> A 1969 Tamil Nadu panel that studied Centre-State relations and recommended steps to enhance state autonomy without harming national unity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> Why did Stalin form a new committee?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Stalin formed a panel to review Centre-State relations, amid disputes over NEET, GST, and language policies, aiming for federal reforms.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> What powers did Rajamannar Committee criticize?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The committee criticized Articles 256, 257, and 365, which allowed excessive Centre control, reducing States to administrative units.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> What key recommendation did the Rajamannar Committee make?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The committee recommended repealing Article 356 and strengthening the Inter-State Council to resolve Centre-State issues through dialogue, not coercion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> Will the new committee\u2019s report be implemented?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Uncertain. Past reports like Rajamannar, Sarkaria, and Punchhi Commission were largely ignored by successive Central governments.<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/stalin-panel-on-states-autonomy-look-back-rajamannar-committee-9947927\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/tamil-nadu\/tn-chief-minister-mk-stalin-forms-high-level-committee-to-strengthen-state-autonomy\/article69451798.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tamil Nadu revives the federalism debate with a new panel on Centre-State relations, echoing the Rajamannar Committee&#8217;s call for greater state autonomy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}