Modis authoritarianism has obliterated precept of federalism as envisaged by founding fathers of Constitution – National Herald

Again, like demonetization, the abrupt lockdown left everyone unprepared, the states the most. Migrant workers and small businesses suffered the most.

Fact is, by the time the second Covid wave hit, everything about Covid-management appeared to be controlled by the Centre, from providing oxygen to assuring steady supplies of essential medications. The states and the people at large were left to fend for themselves. This wasnt the federalism envisaged by BR Ambedkar and others who were instrumental in drafting our Constitution.

True, India has a federal structure like the United States, Australia and Canada. But the Modi Governments omissions and commissions, not to speak of its intentions, have put paid to the vision of the founding fathers of the Constitution of India. The federal structure they chose was one to ensure diversity in unity. A centralised federalism that largely stood the test of time. The system in which governments at both national and state levels functioned in their respective jurisdictions.

On the whole the system lasted. But its wilting these days. The Indian federation is called the holding together federation there are two tiers of government: at the national, and the state levels. Except that the Union government has more powers. And those bigger powers are coming in handy to today's rulers to ride roughshod over the aspirations of the states. The benefits of the states having powers greater than the

Centre are many. Most of all, the checks and balances ingrained in a truly federal system ensures that the Centre doesn't get so powerful that it leads to a concentration of power in the hands of a few, or one!

(IPA Service)

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Modis authoritarianism has obliterated precept of federalism as envisaged by founding fathers of Constitution - National Herald