Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday called for a constitutional amendment to strengthen federalism in India, emphasising greater state autonomy and a “structural reset” of Centre-state relations.

Tabling the first part of the Justice Kurian Joseph committee report on Centre-state relations in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Stalin said that meaningful federalism rests on trust and autonomy rather than control.

“India's federalism needs a structural reset. If we wish, we can again amend the Constitution. Meaningful federalism is not about control, but about trust, autonomy, and governance that responds to people's realities,” he said.

Recalling the DMK’s legacy, Stalin noted that founder C N Annadurai had highlighted the importance of a strong Union for the nation’s sovereignty, while his successor M Karunanidhi advanced the principle of “Autonomy for States, and Federalism at the Centre,” establishing the first independent committee on Union-State relations under Justice P V Rajamannar in 1969.

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Stalin said that despite these principles, states still struggle to secure rights from the Centre and often depend on the Union government. “How long will we be in a place where the union government gives and we receive,” he asked, adding that the report was like “belling the cat.”

He stressed that the initiative to amend the Constitution would ensure state governments are vested with the necessary powers, noting that the country would prosper only if states developed as partners in governance, not competitors. “State autonomy will be the only remedy against oppression,” he said.

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Highlighting the Constitution’s adaptability, Stalin pointed out that it has been amended 106 times in the past 76 years, adding, “If we wish, we can amend the Indian Constitution again.”

The Justice Kurian Joseph committee, constituted on 15 April 2025 under the retired Supreme Court judge, undertook a detailed review of contemporary federal challenges and submitted its first report on 16 February, offering concrete and actionable recommendations aimed at restoring the federal balance and strengthening cooperative federalism within the constitutional framework.

(PTI)