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Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) president and MLA MH Jawahirullah on Saturday strongly condemned the Tamil Nadu government's decision to disband the high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph, calling it "a grave injustice to the rights of States."
In a press statement, he said the committee was constituted by the previous DMK government under then Chief Minister MK Stalin to safeguard States' rights and uphold the spirit of federalism. Jawahirullah described the committee as a historic initiative, the first of its kind since the Rajamannar Committee of 1969, to examine Centre-State relations, including the distribution of powers, the limits of the Governor's authority, education, financial rights of States and delimitation of constituencies. "The first report, submitted on February 16, 2026, made significant recommendations, including placing constitutional limits on the Governors powers, bringing education back to the State List, and protecting the financial and political representation rights of States," he said in the statement. "The report also received appreciation beyond Tamil Nadu. The then Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah welcomed it and cautioned that cooperative federalism was increasingly turning into coercive federalism. He also called upon States to unite beyond political differences. Thus, this initiative evolved into a national-level debate on protecting Indias federal structure, rather than remaining merely a Tamil Nadu initiative," he added. He rejected the justification that the committee's work overlaps with that of the Tamil Nadu Law Commission. "The objectives and mandates of these two bodies are fundamentally different," he said. "At a time when the rights of States are being continuously eroded, disbanding this committee is a serious setback to federalism. Governments may change, but the responsibility to protect the rights of States must remain unwavering," he said. Jawahirullah urged the state government to immediately withdraw the order, ensure the continuation of the committee's remaining studies and take concrete steps to implement the recommendations of its first report. In 2025, MK Stalin had announced that a high-level committee would be formed to give recommendations and suggestions on state autonomy and 'retrieve states' rights' in the state assembly. (ANI)
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