Overview

• Stalin wrote to chief ministers and political leaders seeking detailed responses to a questionnaire on Union–State relations prepared by a Tamil Nadu high‑level committee.
• The online portal hosting the questionnaire was launched on August 23 at a national seminar, and submissions can be made at https://hlcusr.tn.gov.in.
• The committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph, with K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty and M. Naganathan as members.
• In his letter, Stalin argued that successive constitutional changes, Union laws and central policies have tilted the balance of power toward the Centre.
• He cited duplication of state functions by large Union ministries and conditionalities tied to Finance Commission grants and Centrally Sponsored Schemes, urging leaders to direct departments to examine the questionnaire and respond.