Kerala harps on federalism again
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala once again comes to the centre of attention in national political landscape with its focus on federalism. Closely following the national debate raised about the rights of states regarding GST, and the Terms of Reference (TOR) of Finance Commission, Kerala government is trying to actively intervene in the strike by the Aam Aadmi Party government of Delhi.
In the matter of GST, it was almost correcting its own finance minister that the state government entered the scene. Dr Thomas Isaac, the finance minister had floated the theory that GST would increase the state's revenue. But chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan corrected it to say that it would erode on the financial rights of states. This led to the consolidation of non-BJP states.
Then the came the 15th Finance Commission. Kerala took up the cause of states' powers again saying that the TOR of the commission would take away the rights of state governments. Other states joined in the campaign against the central stance. Kerala took the initiative to convene a meeting of southern states. It was an understanding reached between Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu during such exercises that led to the meeting of chief ministers of AP, Karnataka, West Bengal and Kerala when they all converged on Delhi for the NITI Ayog conference.
On the issue of the tussle between the AAP government in Delhi and its Lieutenant Governor, it was Pinarayi again who wrote to the prime minister on 14th June, much before others intervened in the matter. Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee and HD Kumaraswamy agreed with the stand and they came out in support for Kejriwal.
In the process, Pinarayi's intervention also resulted in putting the Congress, CPM's arch rival in Kerala, on the defensive. For, Congress which is seeking to array an alternative force against the BJP at the national level, will find it difficult to explain its silence on a matter affecting the rights of states.
At the same time, CPM is taking care to see that its move is not interpreted with a political tinge. Hence the explanation by Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat that the intervention by non-Congress, non-BJP chief ministers is no to be construed as a federal front or alliance.
Kerala projects the Centre's actions against Delhi government as an encroachment on the federal character of the Constitution and CPM's role in the matter is focused on this aspect. This is not a political move in consort with Mamata Banerjee. Brinda also commented that it is sad to hear Delhi's state Congress speaking the language of BJP.