Federal form of govt at risk: L.K.
With the BJP-ruled states — Karnataka and Uttarakhand — facing heat from the Centre for different reasons, senior saffron leader L.K. Advani on Wednesday accused the UPA government of jeopardising the country’s federal structure and demanded revival of the Inter-State Council to discuss issues and grievances of the state.
Maintaining that in 1983, the Sarkaria Commission, set-up by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had stated that in the post-1967 era there were state governments of diverse hues having different views on regional and inter-state problems, Mr Adavni in his latest blog posted that this led to “an imperative necessity” to form inter-state council.
The senior leader lamented that though Article 263 of the Constitution mandates formation of such a council, it came into being only in 1990, but it remained defunct till 1998, “when we took over the reignat the Centre”.
“As a home minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government formed in 1998, I was able to revive it, and during the NDA’s tenure meetings were held almost every year. All chief ministers were members of this Inter-state Council, apart from several Union ministers nominated by the Prime Minister,” Mr Advani said.
He insisted that all 247 recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission were considered and final decisions taken in several meetings of the Inter-State Council held during Mr Vajpayee’s tenure as the Prime Minister.
The BJP has been critical of the Centre for its “step-brotherly” treatment to states where it is in power. Recently it cried foul on the cutting down of kerosene quota of Gujarat, and the actions of Karnataka governor H.R. Bhardwaj, who had recommended imposition of President’s Rule in the state.
The BJP had even passed a resolution on the UPA government being a “grave threat” to the federal structure, at its National Executive Meeting in Lucknow early June.
Meanwhile, accusing the Congress of playing politics and attempting to destabilise the government in the state, senior BJP leader Uma Bharti, who has recently come back to the party-fold, alleged that the Congress was playing politics over the death of Swami Nigmanand.
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