Nepali netizens slam Modi
Kathmandu, May 11 : Netizens of Nepal slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently visiting the Himalayan nation, reminding him of the 2015 border blockade and asking him to apologize.
Hashtags like #BlockadeWasCrimeMrModi and #ModiNotWelcomed-InNepal were trending as the Indian leader kicked off his two-day Nepal visit on Friday.
Some users reminded Modi of the border blockade enforced by India when Nepal was still reeling from the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake.
Others demanded that Modi apologize for the 135-day blockade from September 2015 to February 2016 that crippled Nepal's economy and led to tensions between the two countries.
"Sorry, Mr Modi we haven't forgotten blockade. We are not welcoming you but it doesn't mean that we are anti-Indian. We are with Indian people but we condemn the Indian government act of blockade in Nepal," wrote user Shailesh M. Pokharel on Twitter.
Another, Binod Khanal, posted: "Mr Modi Nepali politician will welcome you in Nepal but, Nepalese people never!!"
Former EU ambassador to Nepal Rensje Teerink, now based in Bangladesh, weighed in on the debate by posting a picture showing a long queue of cars and motorcycles waiting for refuelling, with the caption: "These images are hard to forget."
A significant number of Twitteratis were equally critical of the Nepali government for its decision to bestow civic reception to the Indian leader and for giving "hasty makeover" to only those parts of the city where his motorcade was expected to pass.
Taking a dig at the government, user Bhim Atreya commented: "There is a fundamental difference between welcome and flattery. Flattery is insincere, unnatural and abnormal praise, not actually welcoming someone with pleasure in a natural manner. Unnatural circumstances created in the name of welcome. Damned!!"
However, there were many who defended Modi's visit.
"Prime Ministers of both the countries have come to power with thumping majority, so try to celebrate this visit and get the best out of it. Interest is always mutual big or small," wrote a Rohit Thapa.
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Siddaramaiah backs TN CM's call for renewed discourse on Centre-State relations
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, expressing the state's strong support for a renewed national discourse on Centre–State relations.
Siddaramaiah said he will urge the union government to provide an institutional platform - such as a revitalised Inter-State Council - for all states to deliberate and restore balance in our federal structure.
Taking to social media platform 'X', the Karnataka CM said federalism is not a political demand - it is part of the basic structure of our Constitution.
"Over the years, increasing centralisation in fiscal and legislative matters has disturbed the delicate balance envisioned by our Constitution makers. States must have the authority and fiscal space to fulfil the responsibilities entrusted to them. India’s strength lies in cooperative federalism, constitutional trust, and respect for diversity," he said.
He assured that Karnataka stands ready to engage constructively in strengthening India’s democratic and federal framework.
Siddaramaiah has written to the TN CM in response to Stalin's letter dated February 20, 2026, forwarding Part 1 of the report of the high-level committee on Union-State relations.
In his letter dated March 2, Siddaramaiah acknowledged and appreciated the initiative taken by the Tamil Nadu government in initiating the report, which seeks "constitutional correction".
Noting that the questions raised in the report go to the heart of India's constitutional morality, the chief minister said federalism was not an act of administrative convenience but a structural guarantee against concentration of power.
"Over the decades, however, a phenomenon of incremental centralisation has altered the federal balance through expansive interpretations of the Concurrent List, conditional fiscal transfers, centrally designed schemes with diminishing State flexibility, and procedural bottlenecks in governor's assent," Siddaramaiah said in the letter.
He claimed that what was intended as cooperative federalism has increasingly resembled "coercive federalism".
In the letter, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka shares many of the concerns articulated in the committee's report.
"We have consistently emphasised that fiscal federalism must align authority with responsibility. Articles 268 to 281, read with the role of the Finance Commission under Article 280 and the GST framework under Article 279A, cannot operate in a manner that dilutes the fiscal sovereignty of States. The doctrine of subsidiarity, that governance should occur at the most immediate level consistent with efficiency, is not alien to our constitutional design; it is implicit within it," he added.
He stressed that Karnataka, like Tamil Nadu, has been vocal in asserting the legitimate constitutional space of states, whether in matters of language policy, education, public health, fiscal devolution, or legislative autonomy.
"These are not sectional claims; they are constitutional claims. They arise from a principled commitment to pluralism, diversity, and democratic accountability," the letter stated.
At this juncture, Siddaramaiah said it is imperative that all states, irrespective of political affiliations, join hands in constructive federal dialogue. Federal renewal cannot be a solitary endeavour of one or two States; it must emerge as a collective articulation.
"The objective, as your letter rightly emphasises, is not to weaken the union but to right-size it, to ensure that national energy is concentrated on genuinely national priorities, while states are trusted with spheres constitutionally entrusted to them," he added.
In this regard, he further stated that it would be both appropriate and necessary for the union government to provide an institutional platform for all states to deliberate upon these questions.
"Whether through a revitalised Inter-State Council under Article 263, a special conclave of Chief Ministers, or a structured constitutional review dialogue, the union must facilitate a forum where states can place their recommendations formally, transparently, and deliberatively. The absence of such structured engagement has contributed to the perception that cooperative federalism has receded from lived practice," he added.
