Unlike Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was more critical of the fourth estate's perceived omissions than the Centre's overbearing ways, his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin on Saturday lashed out at the BJP government for stifling state governments in more ways than one.
“The GST has robbed the states of its fiscal autonomy. Even though the states are entitled to GST compensation, the money is not reaching the states on time. The all-India entrance tests like National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical colleges are denying education to the oppressed. The National Education Policy 2020 is anti-people,” Stalin said at Manorama Conclave 2022 on Saturday while speaking on the topic: 'The State of Affairs: Federalism, Freedom and Forward'.
The Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister's disapproval was intense. “The BJP is attempting to run parallel governments using governors. We have to run our governments even as we face such disturbing challenges to our authority,” Stalin added. “We should not give space to such wicked forces,” Stalin was relentless in his criticism.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister could not appear in person at the Conclave but he was present live from his office in Chennai. Stalin was recovering from COVID-19 and so was advised against travel.
Stalin said India was not a single entity. “It is a collection of states,” he said. “If only all these states are carefully nurtured and protected can the idea of India be saved,” he added.
He also sought to put the concept of unity in perspective. "Unity is not uniformity. You cannot forge unity by trying to sneak in uniformity,” the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said.
Stalin also wanted a joint push back against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's 'One Country One Language' formulation. “A national language is unacceptable simply because India is a land of many languages. It is just like we cannot have one religion or one culture. The only bonds that keep us together are love and brotherhood,” Stalin said.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who made a quarter of his speech in legible Malayalam, recalled the day he arrived in Kerala to attend the CPM Party Congress last April. “I cannot forget the reception I had received in Kannur. The repeated shouts of 'red salute', made right after I finished my speech, still ring in my ears,” Stalin said. He also seemed amused that comrades had taken selfies with him.
Stalin, who referred to Pinarayi as his 'dear comrade', said that he had imbibed a lot from his Kerala counterpart. “For instance, I had adopted the manner in which he had dealt with the COVID-19 situation in Kerala,” Stalin said.
