The March towards Centralism
The BJP's push towards a more centralised system of governance challenges the political and economic autonomy of states, crowding out regional agendas
The second-term Modi government has signalled its intention to deepen centralisation within India's federal system. This agenda, already seen in outline in its first term in office, seeks to empower the central government to coordinate, finance and implement policies even in areas where states have been leading players.
Simultaneously, it seeks to bolster the competition between states, by strengthening the idea of India as a single national market, in which businesses, consumers and workers are mobile. These are the central themes of 'cooperative' and 'competitive' federalism, as promoted by the BJP since coming to office in 2014.
In the second-term Modi government, attempts to create a national market and reduce the barriers to
