BENGALURU, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to his Tamil Nadu counterpart, MK Stalin, expressing the state’s strong support for a renewed national discourse on Center-state relations.
Siddaramaiah said he would urge the Union government to provide an institutional platform – like the revitalized Inter-State Council – for all states to deliberate and restore balance in our federal structure.
Taking to social media platform ‘X’, the Karnataka CM said federalism is not a political demand – it is part of the basic structure of our Constitution.
“Over the years, increasing centralization in fiscal and legislative matters has upset the delicate balance envisioned by the framers of our Constitution. States must have the power and fiscal space to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to them. India’s strength lies in cooperative federalism, constitutional trust and respect for diversity,” he said.
He stressed that Karnataka is ready to participate constructively in strengthening the democratic and federal framework in India.
Siddaramaiah wrote to the TN CM in response to Stalin’s letter dated February 20, 2026, forwarding the first part of the report of the High Level Committee on Union-State Relations.
In his letter dated March 2, Siddaramaiah acknowledged and appreciated the initiative taken by the Tamil Nadu government in preparing the report seeking “constitutional redress”.
Pointing out that the questions raised in the report go to the core of India’s constitutional morality, the Prime Minister said federalism is not an act of administrative convenience but a structural safeguard against concentration of power.
“Over the past decades, the phenomenon of increasing centralization has altered the federal balance through expanded interpretations of the concurrent list, conditional fiscal transfers, centrally designed schemes with reduced state flexibility, and procedural bottlenecks in governor’s approval,” Siddaramaiah said in the letter.
He claimed that what was intended to be cooperative federalism increasingly resembled “coercive federalism.”
Siddaramaiah said in the letter that Karnataka shares many of the concerns mentioned in the committee’s report.
“We have consistently emphasized that fiscal federalism must link authority with responsibility. Articles 268 to 281, read with the role of the Finance Commission under Article 280 and the GST framework under Article 279A, cannot operate in a way that weakens the fiscal sovereignty of states. The principle of subsidiarity, that governance must occur at the most urgent level consistent with efficiency, is not foreign to our constitutional design; it is implicit in it,” he added.
He stressed that Karnataka, like Tamil Nadu, has been vocal in asserting the legitimate constitutional space for states, whether on matters of language policy, education, public health, fiscal devolution or legislative autonomy.
“These are not sectoral claims; they are constitutional claims. They arise from a principled commitment to pluralism, diversity and democratic accountability,” the letter stated.
At this stage, Siddaramaiah said it is necessary for all states, regardless of political affiliations, to come together in a constructive federal dialogue. Federal renewal cannot be a singular endeavor of one or two states; It must appear as a collective expression.
He added: “The goal, as your letter rightly emphasized, is not to weaken the Union, but to adjust its size, to ensure that national energy is focused on genuine national priorities, while states are trusted in the areas constitutionally entrusted to them.”
In this regard, he also stated that it would be appropriate and necessary for the Union Government to provide an institutional platform to all states to deliberate on these questions.
“Be it through an Inter-State Council under Article 263, a special meeting of chief ministers, or an organized dialogue to review the Constitution, the Federation must facilitate a forum where states can make their recommendations formally, transparently and deliberatively. The absence of such organized participation has contributed to the perception that cooperative federalism has receded from living practice,” he added.
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