States of the union

Centre-state relations need to improve

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi can be expected to devote a good part of this Independence Day speech to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). One unintended consequence of this government's biggest political initiative to date has been a significant alteration in the dynamics of Centre-state relations. Though the issue is unlikely to find mention at Red Fort, managing his government's relations with the states will be a major challenge for the PM in the days ahead. It would not have escaped the attention of many state administrations that the tectonic changes in J&K's status occurred when the state had been under