The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘BJP, Congress have not addressed issue of Centre-State relations’

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Monday, Apr 13, 2009
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‘BJP, Congress have not addressed issue of Centre-State relations’

Staff Reporter

Both parties are doing little to address Constitutional constraints to development: CPI(M)

‘Articles 355 and 356 of the Constitution
must be amended’
‘Governor must be appointed from a list of three persons suggested by Chief Minister’

Bangalore: Representatives of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have charged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have failed to address the critical issue of strengthening Centre-State relations in debates running up to the Lok Sabha elections.

“Development has become the punchword for leaders of the two parties but they are doing little to address the Constitutional constraints to development,” said Prakash K., Bangalore district secretary of CPI (M), adding that Articles 355 and 356 of the Constitution must be amended.

Articles 355 and 356, which empowered the Union Government to dismiss the State, had become “instruments” in the hands of the Centre to undermine the spirit of federalism, said Umesh K.N., member, CPI (M) district secretariat.

Revamping

Calling for an “overall revamping” of Centre-State relations as stated in the CPI (M) manifesto, Mr. Umesh said that Governor must be appointed from a list of three persons suggested by the Chief Minister of a State.

On the sharing of financial resources he said that the total proportion of Central tax collections given to the States should be raised to 50 per cent. “At present the State receives only 30.5 per cent of Central tax collections.”

He also recommended that the States’ share of market borrowing be raised to 50 per cent.

Mr. Umesh said that a Constitution amendment was necessary to make “constitutionally guaranteed” the recommendations of the Inter-State Council and National Development Council, and added that the Planning Commission should become the executive body for the decisions made by the councils.

The other recommendations included amending the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act 2003 which puts limits on expenditure of the State and earmarking local self-government expenditure, which should be routed through the State Governments, Mr. Umesh said.

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