
Stalin accuses BJP regime of 'immobilising' states, making them 'dysfunctional'
In strongly-worded article, TN CM hit out at Centre's assault on states’ autonomy, and called for a reset of Centre-State relations to ensure true federalism
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has once again made a strong pitch for the restoration of the federal balance in the country, asserting that States must reclaim their constitutionally guaranteed powers.
Writing in The Hindu, Stalin said the “ever-increasing intrusiveness of the Union into State domains” necessitated his government’s recent move to constitute a three-member high-level committee to review constitutional, legal, and policy provisions relating to Centre-State relations.
He underlined that this was not a new concern but part of the Dravidian movement’s long-standing advocacy for decentralisation. “The fundamental principle of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is ‘Self-rule in the States; collective rule at the Union’,” he said.
Immobilising States
In a scathing attack on the current Union government, Stalin said the BJP regime was “hyper-centralising” and actively working to “immobilise the States and make them dysfunctional”. He alleged a deliberate strategy to trample on States’ legislative powers and reduce them to administrative arms of the Union.
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“There is a clear attempt to curtail the legislative power of the States,” he said, pointing to the misuse of constitutional offices like that of Governors and the President to block State legislation.
Stalin noted that many subjects under the Concurrent List had, “by default and practice”, effectively been moved to the Union List over the last decade. Worse, the Union government had been “brazenly enacting laws” in areas reserved for the States, violating the Constitution’s demarcation of powers through the Union, State and concurrent Lists, he added.
Critical of NEP
Highlighting Tamil Nadu’s recent legal win, he said, “We have successfully removed these blocks by securing the recent historic judgment at the Supreme Court.”
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The DMK leader was particularly critical of the National Education Policy (NEP), calling it “elitist” and driven by a hidden agenda to impose Hindi. He contrasted it with Tamil Nadu’s own State Education Policy, which he said was built on “social justice, inclusiveness, and access to all”.
He accused the Centre of withholding ₹72,500 crore meant for Tamil Nadu due to the State’s rejection of the NEP and three-language formula. He also recalled the Centre’s refusal to give presidential assent to Tamil Nadu’s NEET exemption Bill, terming both actions as reflecting a “contemptuous attitude”.
Unfair delimitation exercise
Stalin also raised concern over a potential “unfair delimitation exercise” by the Union government, which he warned could penalise well-performing States like Tamil Nadu and reward under-performing ones. To counter this, the State was working to build a coalition of like-minded States.
“Our struggle… is not only to fulfil Tamil Nadu’s demands, but also to secure due powers for all the States,” he wrote.
Reiterating the DMK’s federalist ideology, Stalin said, “Only strong States can create a strong India, while at the same time protecting the plurality of the country.” He called for a robust mechanism to prevent the Union from trampling on State rights, asserting that “the time has come to reset the balance”.
Concluding with a rallying cry, Stalin wrote, “Tamil Nadu will fight and Tamil Nadu will win”.