Stalin Unveils Plans To Set Up A Panel On Autonomy Of States

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday announced the constitution of a panel on state autonomy that will be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, as he made a strong pitch for empowering states, alleging that their rights were gradually being snatched by the Central government.

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The establishment of the high-level panel, marking half-a-century of DMK government's 'historic' state autonomy resolution moved in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, was aimed at re-asserting the principles of state autonomy in today's context, he said while making a statement in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

The move was meant to protect the 'legitimate rights' of states and to improve relations between the Union and the state governments, he claimed in the Assembly.

He utilised the occasion to flay the present AIADMK leadership, after the party MLAs staged a walkout over a different issue.

Despite their differences with the DMK, AIADMK stalwarts and late Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa never compromised on state rights. "But now they (AIADMK) say that principles and alliance are different...the question is what is their stand," Stalin asked, apparently referring to the opposition party stitching up an alliance with the BJP recently.