Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday accused the BJP government at the Centre of being indifferent towards the State governments and depriving them of their power and rights.
Addressing a conference on ‘Federalism and Centre-State Relations’ organised in Thiruvananthapuram, in connection with the conference of the Kerala unit of the CPI, he said, “We are speaking not only for the States where the DMK and the CPI(M) are in power. We speak for the BJP-ruled States too. They are also in danger.”
He made a case for amending the Constitution to make it “truly federal from the current status of quasi-federal” and said, “We shall not stop until it is achieved...”
We must continue to raise our voice and work towards our goal.” Mr. Stalin reiterated that India is not a single government but a union of States. “Calling India a union is not wrong. Even the Constitution defines India as a union. After I started using the term some viewed it as anti-national. They cannot even digest a term in the Constitution,” he said. He also made it clear that India could be saved only by protecting the States. “Protecting a State means protecting the language of the State; protecting the sub-national groups that live in a large number; protecting the culture of the State and its rights. Uniformity is not unity,” he said. Recalling the prediction made at the time of Independence that India, comprising sub-national groups, languages, religions and cultures, would not remain united even for a year, Mr. Stalin said it survived because of its unity in diversity. “The magic words that unify India are federalism and State autonomy, and those who seek to undermine them are the enemies of India,” he said.
Rejecting the criticism that States with autonomy would be against the unity of the nation, he said the States were demanding more power for themselves and not separation.
“The BJP, whose sole aim is to divide people by religion, language and culture, are calling us separatists. There can be no bigger joke than this. The BJP is born to divide people for its selfish benefits. Such motives have been defeated in Indian politics many times. It will be defeated in the future, too,” he said.
He said the BJP should not construe its electoral success as the success of its ideology. “This is my polite reminder to them. The BJP will not succeed in its attempt to create a communal, casteist, autocratic and unitary India. The people of India will oppose them unitedly,” he said.
