Apparently, such advantages extend to many fields. Very recently, she claimed that if the Delhi government and Central government were in ‘alignment’, then the Central government would be able to supply electricity to Delhi at cheap rates. She has made similar claims of the advantages of having the same party in power in a state and in the centre. One can assume, this is not making such claims and promises without getting a green signal from the BJP high command. We must recognize the deep significance and dangerous implications of these statements. They hit at the heart of separation of powers between the centre and the state, at the independence of Lok Sabha and Bidhan Sabha elections. All this talk of ‘’alignment’’ between Central and state government being a pre-condition for cooperation, exposes the Centre’s ‘cooperative federalism’ rhetoric. A reporting-to-PMO CBI is going after incumbent parties in non-BJP ruled states and handing clean-chits in encounter killing allegations in BJP ruled states. It’s an astute plan.

What does all this have to do with federalism? To illustrate that, let’s return to the electricity example. If the Central government is able to sell electricity produced by its facilities at lower rates to Delhi, why are private players allowed to sell electricity at higher rates in the first place? Why is there privatization at all, if it depends simply on Central government’s will? Moreover, all states have an equal right on this supposed Central government asset of cheap electricity. If so, why is the electoral success of Kiran Bedi and BJP crucial to Delhi getting this electricity at cheap rates? Are central government assets to be allocated so as to reward states whose people elect the same party in centre and state? Conversely, are states whose people decide to reject the central government party in their state elections to be punished? What Kiran Bedi has put into words explicitly is the implicit rule by which federalism has been made into a farce by successive ‘national’ party led governments at the Centre. This system works on making states dependent on the Central government and need to compete to seek attention. Proud peoples of various states are reduced into vassals of the Union government. It is a shame that no ‘’Unity in diversity’’ celebration or “cooperative federalism” rhetoric can hide. The centre can do this because of its discretionary powers in terms of allocation through extra-ordinary and special grants, finance commission, various ‘national policy’ parameter setting in concurrent and state subjects. However, the problem finally lies in the fact that the Central government carries off most of the revenue produced from a state. That is the source of the Centre’s power and its abuse. Using GST and other means, the Centre plans to make the states even more dependent that toothless. Delhi think-tanks are literally jumping with joy.

What is it about Delhi? Nothing much, but for the incidental fact that the Centre is situated in Delhi. This has also resulted in the worst opportunists among of the powerful sections of the states situating themselves in Delhi. In that world, where connections can shamelessly be peddled as merit, some have established themselves deeply. Some erstwhile fixers who hit sixers at the cost of the people have their next generation trying their luck in the elections. These elites have liberally sprinkled Delhi with Central money - a textbook case of elites with access to power subsidizing themselves using revenue from states. The contest in Delhi is partly a fight between this parasitic class and its working people. Its important that the Indian Union takes back Delhi from India before the Delhi-vision of India casts its shadow on the Union. (IPA)