Centre undermining federalism, says Chidambaram
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday accused the Centre of undermining federalism, citing reports about the National Medical Commission's new decisions regarding medical colleges in Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X, Chidambaram said, "If reports are true that the National Medical Commission has decreed that: (A) no more new medical colleges in Tamil Nadu and (B) no more additional seats in existing medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, then it amounts to punishing good performance."
This is another serious encroachment on the powers of the state government and the state legislature, he said.
"Why should a state not start a new medical college out of its own funds and for the its own students? The Centre and its agencies are undermining federalism," the former Union minister said.
The "assault" on states' rights continues under the Modi government, Chidambaram alleged.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
