Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to alter the basic structure of the Constitution, and said that such attempts pose a threat to democracy.
Mr. Modi’s “autocratic” style of functioning was against the spirit of democracy, he stated in a press release here on Saturday.
Mr. Ramakrishnudu said under the leadership of Mr. Modi, the Central government was usurping the constitutional powers of the States in what was supposed to be a framework of cooperative federalism. Such actions should be thwarted by the people. The 15th Finance Commission was being used as a tool to arm-twist the States, he alleged, calling upon other States fight against it. Mr. Ramakrishnudu said Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was “repeating the lies” that the 14th Finance Commission was against granting Special Category Status to new States and that no injustice would be done to the States by the 15th Finance Commission, whose Terms of Reference were undemocratic and biased.
