Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a significant move towards strengthening state rights, on Tuesday announced the formation of a high-level committee led by former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph. The committee will examine and recommend steps to enhance Tamil Nadu’s autonomy amid growing friction with the Union government. The announcement was made during his address in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, highlighting what Stalin termed as "persistent overreach by the Centre." The committee also includes former IAS officer Ashok Shetty and academician Mu Nagarajan. Its mandate is clear: to research and suggest ways in which Tamil Nadu—and by extension, other Indian states—can reclaim authority over subjects originally intended to be within their exclusive jurisdiction. These include key areas like education, health, language, and state-specific governance policies, which, over time, have increasingly come under shared control between the Centre and the states.

Stalin emphasized that this initiative is not limited to the interests of Tamil Nadu alone. “This is for all states. To protect state rights and improve Centre-State relations, we need a systematic relook at federal governance,” he stated. The committee is expected to submit an interim report by January 2026, with the final report due within two years. The move comes against the backdrop of a long-standing conflict between Tamil Nadu and the Centre, particularly concerning policies like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the National Education Policy (NEP). Stalin used the opportunity in the Assembly to once again denounce both.

Criticizing NEET, he reiterated that the medical entrance exam has resulted in the loss of several young lives in the state, referring to multiple student suicides over the years. "We have lost many students due to the NEET exam. We have continuously opposed the NEET exam," he declared, reasserting the DMK government’s stance that the exam disadvantages rural and economically weaker students. In his sharp critique of the NEP, Stalin accused the Centre of leveraging the education policy to push Hindi across non-Hindi speaking states, calling it a form of linguistic imposition. He stated that the NEP promotes a "triple-language policy" with the veiled agenda of weakening regional languages like Tamil.

Furthermore, he alleged that the Union government has been financially punitive towards Tamil Nadu for its resistance. “Since we have denied NEP, Rs 2,500 crore in central funds have not been released,” he claimed, echoing earlier concerns raised by the state regarding the politicization of financial allocations. The renewed aggression from the Tamil Nadu government marks a continuation of its federalist agenda. The DMK has long advocated for greater state control, citing India’s Constitution and the original vision of cooperative federalism. With general elections approaching in 2026 and possible shifts in political dynamics at the Centre, Stalin's government appears to be positioning itself as a leader among states demanding a rebalancing of powers.

Analysts believe that Stalin’s latest measures—including the formation of the expert committee—are a part of a larger strategic framework aimed at not only asserting state autonomy but also consolidating public support in Tamil Nadu, where issues like NEET and language imposition are highly emotive. The high-level committee’s work could potentially spark wider debates on the state of Indian federalism, especially if other opposition-ruled states choose to adopt similar measures. For now, the focus remains on how the central government will respond to the growing chorus of states seeking a more equitable and decentralized governance model.