Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who led a protest against the Modi government over distribution of central funds to states at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Thursday, said the body blow to India's federal structure is coming from the Union eating into the states' financial resources. He also added that the rights of states are being trampled upon and that the 'Centre is eating into our financial resources.' "We have all come together to register our strong protest against this and to preserve the federal structure of India. Today we are marking the beginning of a renewed fight that would herald a dawn of ensuring equitable treatment of the states. This fight would also strive to maintain a balance in the Centre -State relations", he said, while addressing the crowd. Chief Ministers of Delhi and Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Maan respectively also joined Kerala CM at the protest at Jantar Mantar. The Kerala government alleged that the fiscal policies of the BJP -led government are financially stifling the state, with the Vijayan-led administration claiming that Centre has made a curtailment of Rs 57,400 crore in the State Receipts in the current fiscal, and it is not getting its due share from the tax collected by the Centre. Vijayan said, "Over the years, the Union has been making laws that encroach upon the States' powers and duties in several sectors, even on law and order, which is absolutely in the States List in the Constitution. Even a Ministry for Co-operation has been formed. Multinational agreements are being entered into, on issues that affect the States, without seeking the States' opinion, let alone getting their consent. These are all telling examples of how the rights of States are being trampled upon and how India is being changed into an undemocratic 'Union over States'." He added, "The body blow to India's federal structure is coming from the Union eating into the States' financial resources. It is being alleged that the same people who wax eloquent about cooperative federalism, have tried to undercut the resources to be allocated to the States by the Finance Commission."
