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Former secy appeals to Bhagwant Mann to form federal front to contain onslaught on federalism

Former secy appeals to Bhagwant Mann to form federal front to contain onslaught on federalism

Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in

Er AS Sarma,  former  secretary to the government of India has appealed to the  Punjab chief minister  Bhagwant Mann to   form a federal front to contain the  onslaught on federalism. Sarma, in his letter to Bhagwant Mann ,has written that Punjab to come onto a common platform with other chief ministers  to collectively act to protect the spirit  of federalism that should prevail in the long-run. The states should realise that affront to federalism in the   case of one state amounts to an affront to the concept of federalism in general.

He said in the federal framework in which the centre and the states are expected to function harmoniously  in accordance with the constitution. Their  relations are expected to be based on mutual respect and trust.  The successive governments at the centre had consciously nurtured and promoted this concept.

He said in recent times, there has been a distressing tendency on the part of the Centre to intrude unduly in  areas that legitimately belong to the States, which has the effect of eroding the political identity of the State.
As per letter the centre unilaterally enacted laws such as the three farm Laws and the Bill to amend the Electricity Act 2003  that tends to curtail the states’ authority, without casting matching accountability on the Centre. enacting  such laws without consulting the stakeholders including the States is undemocratic and unsustainable.

He said that the Centre’s unilateral, sweeping orders on large-scale central public sector enterprises (CPSE )disinvestment and   the monetisation of lands in which the states have a significant stake in several ways has evoked resistance  from the states.

Former secy appeals to Bhagwant Mann to form federal front to contain onslaught on federalism
CM Bhagwant Mann

He said that there have  been attempts to centralise all policies through slogans such as “one nation, one ration”, coupled with individual photos  affixed to the identity cards , and direct cash transfers by the centre from the resources that should legitimately belong to the states,to the bank accounts of the people, tend to give undue political advantage to the Central leadership, at the cost of the states

He said that in the federal framework in which the centre and the states are expected to function harmoniously in accordance  with the constitution, the states, which are nearer the people and more directly accountable  to them, play a crucial role in promoting balanced socio-economic development of the communities  relevant to their respective areas. The centre needs to strengthen the hands of the states in such matters.

Former secy appeals to Bhagwant Mann to form federal front to contain onslaught on federalism. He said that in a democratic set-up like ours, in which the Centre and the States should function as equal partners, but  the Central leadership has systematically weakened the institutions that exist as independent entities  meant for safeguarding the interests of the States and the people at large.

The like minded states should  put up a collective front against any attempt on the part of the Centre to diminish their authority and prevent what appears to be an onslaught on federalism, he said..

March 30,2022

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