Forms panel to give recommendations
CHENNAI: Amid mounting tension with the Centre and Governor R N Ravi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday moved a resolution in the state legislative assembly to appoint a high-level panel to recommend measures for greater state autonomy and to ”retrieve the rights of Tamil Nadu”.
The three-member panel will be headed by retired Justice Kurian Joseph and will also include retired IAS officer Ashok Vardhan Shetty and Mu Nagarajan.
The panel has been tasked with conducting comprehensive research and submitting recommendations on strengthening the relationship between the state and the Centre. An interim report is expected by January 2026, while the final report is to be submitted by 2028.
“To strengthen the relationship between the state and the Union Government, this committee will carry out research and provide recommendations,” Stalin told the Assembly.
Addressing the House, Stalin raised several longstanding issues on which the Dravidian state has clashed with the Centre, including NEET, the New Education Policy, and the alleged imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu.
“We have lost many students due to the NEET exam. We have continuously opposed NEET. In the name of the three-language policy, the Union Government is trying to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu. Since we have rejected the NEP, the Union Government has withheld Rs 2,500 crore meant for the state. In such a situation, education must be brought under the State List,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP opposed the resolution brought by CM Stalin and staged a walkout from the Assembly.
“Today, the CM brought a resolution under Rule 110 to demand full autonomy for the state. We cannot accept it. BJP opposed it, and we walked out of the Assembly,” said Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagendran.
Agencies