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Telangana CM KCR: Centre trying to ‘weaken’ state govts
“But the present central government is seeking to undermine this federal spirit and usurp all the powers of states. It is making a mockery of the Constitution by taking decisions on subjects in the concurrent list without consulting the states and subsequently bringing pressure on the states to implement the decisions,” KCR alleged.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday expressed concern over the “deliberate attempts of the central government to financially weaken the states undermining the federal spirit of the Constitution of India.”
Addressing the people from the ramparts of Golconda Fort in Hyderabad after hoisting the national flag on 75th Independence Day, KCR, as the chief minister is called, said the architects of the Constitution had envisaged a federal structure for the country, giving equal importance to both the Centre and the states.
“But the present central government is seeking to undermine this federal spirit and usurp all the powers of states. It is making a mockery of the Constitution by taking decisions on subjects in the concurrent list without consulting the states and subsequently bringing pressure on the states to implement the decisions,” he alleged.
The chief minister recalled how the Centre had sought to enforce draconian laws on agriculture and later backtracked on the same when the farmers resorted to massive protests, forcing the Prime Minister to withdraw them.
KCR claimed that the Centre was surreptitiously usurping financial powers of the state by denying them a fair share in the central taxes. “By collecting cess and resorting to other forms of indirect taxation, the Centre is denying about 11.4% of its revenue to the states in 2022-23,” he said.
He alleged that the Centre was trying to curtail the economic freedom of the states by imposing cuts on the loans taken by them as per the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) norms.
Reacting to the criticism that Telangana was resorting to huge borrowings, KCR said as per the central government figures, the total debt of Telangana for 2019-20 is ₹2.25 lakh crore against ₹75,577 crore debt inherited from the undivided Andhra Pradesh after the state’s formation in 2014. Thus, the state government’s debt was ₹1,49,873 crore, which was spent as capital investment for construction of projects and infrastructure. Further, Telangana stands at 23rd position among the 28 states in terms of debt-GSDP (gross state domestic product) ratio.
“Telangana’s debt-GSDP ratio is 23.5% and the state borrowings are within the FRBM limits. However, the nation’s debt-GDP ratio stands at 50.5%. But some people are spreading misinformation with malicious intentions,” he said.
KCR said the Centre had abnormally increased the GST on every product and service, right from milk to crematorium. “On the other hand, it is trying to blame the states for implementing welfare schemes for the poor by dubbing them as freebies,” he said.
“The economic development of the country has been stunted due to the inefficient management of the central government. But those in power at the Centre are trying to cover up their failures by dividing the people with hate politics,” he said.
“India is globally acclaimed as a country of unity in diversity, but disruptive forces are trying to incite religious hatred and damage the peace and harmony which is damaging the nation’s reputation. Every citizen including the intelligentsia, youth and students should be vigilant and thwart the conspiracies of these evil forces,” he said.
