Monday

02


November , 2020
Who cares for a ‘Federal’ India?
11:42 am

Buroshiva Dasgupta


Maharashtra’s decision to not allow the central agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation TO (CBI), to investigate in the state is not unprecedented. It has happened before in Andhra Pradesh in Chandrababu Naidu’s time, in West Bengal, in Karnataka and recently, in Rajasthan. But such moves indicate a larger problem – deteriorating centre-state relations, which may in the long-run, weaken the federal structure of the country.

We have already seen how the controversies over the Goods & Services Tax (GST) are weakening the ‘cooperative federalism’ of the country and though there has been a  temporary lull because of the pujas, the issues are likely to flare up  soon with the some of the states deciding to take the issue to the Supreme Court. The pandemic has worsened the situation. With empty coffers, the centre cannot pay the promised compensation to the states after the implementation of the GST. The states are equally in bad shape financially and in no way can they forgo the central aid. The states are already neck-deep in loans and the centre’s suggestion to the states to raise loans from the market to meet the shortfall remains unacceptable. The states push the ball in the centre’s court: why don’t you raise the loan and give it to us? The interest on these loans will be huge, and who will bear the burden? The federal structure is under severe strain.

The Opposition tend to believe that the central agencies like the CBI, ED, the Narcotic Bureau, NIA, the Income Tax department are being ‘weaponised’ by the centre to berate the states. The CBI, often called the ‘king’s parrot’, has now turned into a falcon. The CBI, which was constituted before the independence to investigate corruption within the government, has over time enlarged its mandate and is being used for various purposes even unrelated to the government. In the case of Maharashtra, the CBI is wanting to investigate the TRP issue. Taking a cue from Uttar Pradesh, where CBI is investigating a similar charge of TRP manipulation, it now says that since TRP has become a ‘national’ issue, it should take over the Mumbai case too.  The media‘s role at the moment is, of course, questionable; but it seems now that the media is being used as an excuse to teach Maharashtra lesson or ,as some say,  give protection to a section of the media that toes the government line.

 The Maharashtra government has used, as done by other states before, the Section 6 of the special police establishment act (which controls the CBI) to stop the centre from ‘interfering’ in state’s law and order matters which under the constitution is a state subject.

Punjab is going hammer and tongs against the centre on the agricultural reforms. Agriculture again is a state subject and the complaint against the centre is that it did not discuss with the states, neither in the parliament or elsewhere, before implementing these major reforms in agriculture. It was in bad taste when in Punjab the effigy of the Prime Minister was burnt as Ravana in Dussera.

 Somewhere this confrontation between the centre and the states has to stop. It’s leading to a constitutional crisis. Almost in all matters, even trivial, the states are going to court. None is in a mood to negotiate. Parliamentary debates are either halted or bypassed. This is not at all good for federalism or democracy.

 
 

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