Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin has urged Chief Ministers of all states and leaders of various political parties to come together to strengthen India’s federal structure. In a Demi-Official letter, he called for rising above politics and partisanship to create a future framework that ensures a “Union that is both strong and truly federal.”Stalin noted that the Indian Constitution, inspired by the Government of India Act of 1935, had created a fine balance of power between the Union and the States. However, over time, this balance has shifted heavily in favour of the Centre. “A strong Union and strong States are not contradictory but complementary,” he said.
Citing the vision of former Tamil Nadu leaders, Stalin recalled that in 1967, then Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai had warned against the Centre duplicating State responsibilities such as health and education. Similarly, former CM and DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi consistently championed the principle of “Autonomy to the States, federalism at the Centre.” In 1969, Karunanidhi established the first independent Committee on Union–State Relations under Justice P.V. Rajamannar.
The Rajamannar Committee’s 1971 report and the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s 1974 resolution for constitutional amendments marked milestones in federal debates. Later, the Union government set up the Sarkaria Commission (1983–88) and Punchhi Commission (2007–10), but their recommendations failed to achieve a balanced federal framework, Stalin observed.
He criticised successive central legislations, policies, and constitutional amendments that weakened State powers. “Large ministries at the Union level duplicate State functions and impose conditionalities through Finance Commission grants, centrally sponsored schemes, and intrusive micromanagement,” he said.
To address this, the Tamil Nadu government has set up a High-Level Committee chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph. Retired IAS officer K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty and Prof. M. Naganathan are members. The committee aims to study Centre–State relations and propose reforms.
Stalin launched a web portal and released a detailed questionnaire at a National Seminar on Union–State Relations in Chennai on August 23. He appealed to other States and Union Territories to provide feedback.
“Your active participation will be invaluable in shaping a document that reflects the collective will of all States and strengthens the federal foundation of our nation,” he said, stressing that this effort transcends party politics.