Chennai: The DMK president on Tuesday urged the Union government to uphold the spirit of federalism and "restore the balance between the Centre and the States".
Recalling the special resolution adopted at the recent DMK general council meeting here on the subject of 'federalism', Stalin said in a message to mark the 70th Constitution Day on Tuesday that the Centre should bring an amendment to the Constitution for the purpose.
Adverting to the party resolution passed recently, the DMK leader said in the very first election to the Legislative Assembly the DMK contested in 1957, the party's election manifesto had set out the powers that need to be apportioned between the Centre and States.
The DMK resolution recalled the speech made by its late founder-leader C.N. Annadurai in the Rajya Sabha in the early 1960s' to emphasize how "we have accepted a federal form of government. Those who have drafted the Constitution have rejected the unitary form of government and preferred a federal structure. India is a diverse land and geographically spread out like a sub-continent."
Subsequently, former Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi in 1974 had given a "clarion call for Federalism at the Centre, Autonomy for the State." Recalling these words the DMK general council had resolved that the party "will not accept any erosion of fundamental rights or a threat to the basic structure of the Constitution," Stalin reiterated.
The DMK general council had also reiterated the party's acceptance of the Rajamannar committee recommendations on Centre-State relations. Expressing concern at the RSS' proposal to eliminate existing districts and States and "replace them with 200 Janpaths under a single administrative control under the BJP", the DMK had condemned the proposal and urged the Union government to give it up immediately. Stalin said he was re-emphasising these aspects on the 70th anniversary of the Constitution Day today.
MGNREGA WAGES: In another tweet, Stalin urged the Centre to immediately release the unpaid wages to rural workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mgnrega) scheme, which in some districts of Tamil Nadu were pending for up to four months.
