CHENNAI: Political battle lines sharpened over state rights on Wednesday as a critical staff crunch paralysed the High-Level Committee on Union-State Relations, drawing severe criticism from DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin.The panel, set up under former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s federal case, has ground to a halt as contracts for key researchers and translators expired without extension.Targeting the ruling TVK, Udhayanidhi Stalin accused the government of deliberately freezing the panel’s work out of fear. “Afraid to fight for state rights, the govt fears even researching the topic,” he posted on X. “State rights cannot be won by posting reels. The govt must act now to keep the panel running.”The political standoff exposes a growing gap between policy rhetoric and administrative execution. While the state pushes for federal autonomy on national forums, key contracts for four research officers and the sole Tamil translator have lapsed on the home front.Without contract renewals, the panel’s research team has shrunk from five to one officer. The staffing freeze has effectively shelved Part 2 of the landmark report covering 15 legal topics, halting both the English and Tamil editions.
