The Indian Express ·
Himanta Biswa Sarma writes | Led by PM, HM, thorny inter-state disputes are giving way to dialogue, progress
Opinion Himanta Biswa Sarma writes | Led by PM, HM, thorny inter-state disputes are giving way to dialogue, progress
As Gujarat’s longest-serving chief minister, most of it under a Congress-led Centre, Narendra Modi saw firsthand how inter-state and Centre-state disagreements can stall welfare works
As Narendra Modi completes 25 years as the head of a government — first as Chief Minister of Gujarat and for over a decade as Prime Minister of India — one conviction has remained constant. “India cannot advance without all its states advancing in tandem. States and the Centre must work together to forge a model of cooperative federalism, resolve differences, and chart a common course to progress and prosperity.” PM Modi said this at the first meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council in February 2015. It is a vision he has carried since his days as Gujarat CM, and one he has entrusted, as PM, to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to translate into reality. Over the last few months, the Union Home Ministry has formalised memoranda of understanding that resolve some of India’s oldest inter-state disputes.
