Opposition to the 15th Finance Commission’s Terms of Reference (ToR) continues to grow, with multiple leaders from south India throwing their hat into the ring. Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has even called a meeting of the Finance Ministers of the other south Indian states to discuss the matter.
The 15th Finance Commission may use the 2011 census instead of the 1971 census, which had earlier been frozen as the base year while making its recommendations. The Centre also plans to incentivise population-control programs by the states. South Indian states that have already controlled their population through multiple programs believe this will hurt them.
Leaders, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, and DMK leader MK Stalin have spoken out regarding the same.