In 75th year of Constitution, federalism being weakened

The national portal of India, india.gov.in, proclaims, "India is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary form of government which is federal in structure". Indeed, that was what the founding fathers and mothers of the nation envisaged, as evidenced by the Constitution they gave us. But 75 years on, we find ourselves at a crossroads, grappling with a situation in which not only federalism but also secularism, democracy, and the parliamentary form of government are in jeopardy, due to the machinations of the present Union government.

- M.K. Stalin

While I shall refrain from going into everything that went against the growth and development India saw under the United Progress Alliance (UPA) government, in which my party was a part, I am concerned over the Union government's attempt to turn education into a preserve of the privileged class through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the latest draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the infamous Economically Weaker Sections reservation that Tamil Nadu under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will continue to fight. Since I belong to the Dravidian tradition that gave a clarion call for social justice, it is my duty to see India's development leave not a single section of people or geographical region behind. It is this aspiration that propels us towards strengthening federalism.