Coronavirus: Non-BJP states lock horns with Centre over 'relief'

As Lockdown 4.0 began on Monday with states having greater say, a tussle is building up between states and the Centre with many chief ministers from the Opposition training guns on the latter.

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The latest sparring was over the Centre’s decision to link borrowing limits for states to fulfil four conditions including ease of doing business, bringing in power reforms and one-nation-one-ration card linkage. The move was criticised by Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal and Rajasthan while NDA-ruled Bihar, which had sought relaxation in borrowing limits, kept quiet.

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac took to Twitter accusing the Centre of having set a “bad precedent” while Mamata Banerjee opposed it vowing to protect the federal structure. Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi slamming the conditions.

The issue, which revived the charge of the Centre going against the spirit of federalism comes after a massive war of words broke out between Centre and state governments. Many Opposition leaders and chief ministers have accused the Centre of laying the blame on states’ doors for the failures.

Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh accused Centre of acting as ‘Maai Baap government’, telling it that many of the announcements made by Centre require Parliamentary approval.

“Modi government is acting as a mai-baap sarkar to state governments. Tax devolutions and statutory grants to state governments are now passed off as generous support,” Ramesh said.

Hitting back at Railway Minister Piyush Goyal over his charge that several states like West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are not giving permission for Shramik Special trains to enter their states, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he was not surprised to see this statement as “they are skilled in passing their failures on to state governments”.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik was the only non-NDA Chief Minister who said the package will mitigate the distress of working classes and suggested that the Centre come out with National Standard Operating Procedure for rebooting economic activities.