Federalism has been at the core of Indian politics ever since independence. In this edition we explore the way the freedom fighters envisioned federalism, the way it is enshrined in our Constitution and where it stands today.
Is India a nation or a union of states? Where does the Centre-State balance lie? Are the ongoing elections in five states, with many regional parties asserting themselves, a celebration of India’s federal structure?
The beginning of the era of coalition governments at the Centre since the 1990s, when no single party got a majority in the Lok Sabha and alliances were formed, set in a new culture of negotiations, power sharing and autonomy of state governments. A Supreme Court judgment made it difficult for the Central government to dismiss state governments.
But now Centre-State relations are frayed once more. There is a move by the non-BJP-ruled states to come together and put up a united front, though the pulls and pressures among them are no less fractious. In this backdrop, the following articles and reports attempt to untangle the complex layers of India’s federalism.
(This appeared in the print edition as "State of the Union")
