BENGALURU: In a strong endorsement of Chief Minister MK Stalin’s push for renewed debate on Centre– State relations, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday backed the call for a national dialogue to restore what he termed the “disturbed federal balance”.
In a letter dated March 2, in response to Stalin’s February 20 communication, forwarding part 1 of the high-level committee report on Union–State relations, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka shares many of the concerns flagged in the document and supports the demand for what he described as “constitutional correction”.
Taking to the social media platform X, the Karnataka Chief Minister asserted that federalism is part of the Constitution’s basic structure, not a political demand.
He argued that increasing centralisation in fiscal and legislative domains has weakened the balance envisioned by the Constitution makers.
“Over the decades, incremental centralisation — through expansive use of the Concurrent List, conditional fiscal transfers, centrally designed schemes with limited State flexibility, and delays in gubernatorial assent — has altered the federal equilibrium,” he said, adding that cooperative federalism has increasingly resembled “coercive federalism”.
Siddaramaiah stressed that fiscal federalism must align authority with responsibility, citing constitutional provisions relating to tax devolution, the Finance Commission and the GST framework. These, he said, cannot operate in a manner that dilutes States’ fiscal sovereignty.
He underlined that Karnataka, like Tamil Nadu, has consistently asserted its constitutional space in matters such as language policy, education, public health and legislative autonomy, calling these “constitutional claims” rooted in pluralism and democratic accountability.
Calling for collective action beyond party lines, Siddaramaiah urged the Union government to provide an institutional platform — such as a revitalised Inter-State Council under Article 263 or a special conclave of Chief Ministers — to facilitate structured and transparent deliberations.
“The objective is not to weaken the Union, but to right-size it,” he said, stressing that federal renewal must be a collective national exercise.