Declaring that the Indian central government is becoming less relevant to governance today, Manu Joseph writes in the New York Times, that “the very idea of “national” is also fading in a de-centralised India:
“The political supremacy of New Delhi and the central government is being challenged by state governments and other regional forces.”
“There was a time when the chief ministers of the states would arrive in the capital like indebted peasants to plead for funds from the masters of Delhi, but now they simply raise a stink when they don’t get enough. It appears that every fortnight or so the authority of the center, even its common sense and credibility, are publicly challenged by the states,” he argues.
“India does not have a national politician anymore, who is national in the true sense of the word,” he notes.
Read his full opinion here.