From politics to activism to law, Dakshin Dialogues 2022 puts the South First

In a series of panels, the 2022 edition of the Dakshin Dialogues examines federalism in contemporary India, and how it affects the South.

BySouth First Desk

Published Sep 16, 2022 | 5:02 PMUpdatedOct 04, 2023 | 1:28 PM

From politics to activism to law, Dakshin Dialogues 2022 puts the South First

Federalism is almost universally defined as a system of governance in which two levels of government control the same territory.

In India, this manifests as the Central Government overall and the State and Union Territory (UT) governments based on geographical boundaries.

These governments’ legislative powers are categorised under a Union List, a State List and a Concurrent List.

They contain within them the powers conferred upon the Union Government, the state and UT governments, and the powers shared by the states and the Union, respectively.

And if there is a dispute, the opposing parties may approach the Supreme Court for a solution.

Federalism is globally recognised as a complex system of governance. And it is rarely more complex than in India, the largest democracy in the world.

It comes into question each time a new divide, conflict or even disagreement comes into focus. Its nature and efficacy are inspected from all angles.

The 2022 edition of Dakshin Dialogues — on Saturday, September 17 — wishes to do exactly that, but from a perspective that has rarely been the centre of attention and yet, is the need of the hour.

Putting South First

Federalism in India was meant to make the country egalitarian.

Yet, its regions often receive unequal treatment — from respect to importance to grants to policy push — from the Central Government. Some more than others.

Dakshin Dialogues 2022 is here to shed light on various aspects of this.

To that end, we have brought together some of the most eminent and erudite experts on the subject, hailing from all over South India.

The purpose is to shed light on federalism in India, in general, and its relationship with the judiciary and society in particular.

Special attention has been given to ensure that the views come from the most varied of perspectives.

Thus,

What lies ahead?

The day’s events will play out at the ITC Grand Kakatiya in Hyderabad.

Starting at 10:30 am, Dakshin Dialogues 2022 will witness three panels discussing three different but equally important aspects of federalism.

The proceedings will be streamed live for all those who are unable to attend the event in person.

Panel 1:

The first will be on the topic “Building consensus on federalism and the role of the judiciary”.

The panellists include retired Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Lok Sabha member and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac and former National Law School of India Vice-Chancellor G Mohan Gopal.

Panel 2:

The second panel will be on “Civil society movements: Can they strengthen federalism?”.

The panellists here will be social activists Meera Sanghamitra and Brinda Adige.

The discussion will be moderated by Padmaja Shaw, a professor from the Department of Communication and Journalism of Osmania University in Hyderabad.

Panel 3:

The third and final panel will ask the question “Has India lost the spirit of federalism?”.

The panellists are Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor.

The moderator for this session will be Centre for Policy Research President and Chief Executive Yamini Aiyar.

The event will end with a valedictory address by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

For all the latest developments

The South First news website will cover the southern states and create a platform for informed analysis of politics and policy in the region. No aspect of our lives is unaffected by politics, hence the website’s focus on politics and policy.

To watch the event live, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-AEKnYA704

All the videos from the event will be available on: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbZMvW807JWuNBOcYK5c91w/videos